LAYTON, Utah, March 3, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A 4-year-old boy was critically injured Sunday afternoon when he was bitten by a neighbor’s dog as he reached through a fence to play with the animal.
Battalion Chief Jason Cook, Layton City Fire Department, told Gephardt Daily at the scene that the traumatic incident occurred at about 3:30 p.m., at 1042 N. 3575 West, as the boy apparently was attempting to play with the neighbor’s two Huskies.
The child had a sock on his hand and reached through the fence separating the two yards.
The owner of the dogs told police this was the first time there had been any display of aggression on the part of the dog, Cook said.
“I spoke with the Animal Control officer just a minute ago,” he added, “and she confirmed that there has never been a problem here.”
The dog bite amputated the boy’s hand from the mid-forearm down, Cook said.
The boy’s parents were home at the time and administered whatever aid they could until medics arrived.
The child was flown by University of Utah helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital, where surgery was being performed on the injured arm.
Eight to 10 police officers combed the area looking for the amputated hand, but were unable to find it, and Cook said officials assume it was ingested by the dog.
The child’s condition is stable and the bleeding has been controlled.
“He’s managing the event pretty well, considering his age and trauma he’s gone through,” Cook said.
A medic also attended to the boy’s father, who was “extremely emotionally upset,” Cook said. The boy’s parents then went with some friends to the hospital to stay with the child.
The two dogs are currently in the custody of Davis County Animal Control.
Let’s not get bogged down with wether the child should have placed a sock on his hand and used that socked hand to play with dogs – through a fence. Let’s not get bogged down with wether a 4-year old should have known better. Wether his parents should have warned him. Let’s not get bogged down by the fact that these dogs have never shown, displayed, intimated or otherwise hinted at aggression – in any form – or any way, ever. Let’s look at that this as exactly what it is: tragedy. Plain and simple. The loss the 4-year old suffered is life-long. The realization that man’s best friend caused such tragedy, inadvertently, is lives long. Everyone involved has lost enough. There is no case to warrant further loss. My best and most sincere wishes to the boy and his family. My best and most sincere wishes to the dogs and their family. Let them all live their lives with the hope that this will not haunt them any further.