A petition has been initiated to save two huskies who have been quarantined at a Utah animal shelter. One of the dogs, Bear, bit off the hand of a 4-year-old boy in what’s being described as a freak accident.

The two huskies, Polar and Bear, were in their fenced-in back yard when the boy – who lives next door – approached his neighbor’s fence. He wanted to play with the dogs, so he put a sock on his hand and slid it under the fence, where Bear got hold of it.

Thinking it was a toy, the dog bit down on the boy’s hand. According to People, the child’s father was inside the house when the event happened and when he called 911, he told dispatchers that his son’s arm had been ripped off.

Emergency workers found the father trying to stop the bleeding and wound up flying him to a hospital in Salt Lake City. Sadly, the dog bit off the boy’s hand and a portion of his forearm, and rescuers were unable to locate the limb for reattachment. It’s assumed that Bear ingested it. The boy is said to be in stable condition.

As a result, both dogs were detained by the county’s animal control office. Their owner is said to have stated that Polar and Bear have never been aggressive and have always been docile animals. As of March 5, the incident was still under investigation by authorities and the dogs are still in confinement.

A friend of the owner’s family posted a petition on Care2 to explain the story and it’s already garnered over 100,000 signatures. Both dogs are pictured on the site with this statement:

“My best friend’s dog was involved in an unfortunate accident yesterday where a little boy stuck his arm through a fence and he had a sock on his arm. Bear, who was playing with what he thought was a toy, he bit down too hard and didn’t see that there was a child on the other side of the fence. With him being a dog, he thought it was a game of tug of war and he bit down too hard and took a lower portion of his arm. This situation is unfortunate on both sides. And now both dogs are in quarantine at Davis County Animal Control. There are fears that Bear might be put down and he doesn’t deserve to be put down for this freak accident.”

You can get a look and Bear and Polar and hear from the owner’s friend, Jessica, by watching the video news clip below. She is hoping that by spreading the word, the dogs will be spared from getting euthanized.

It remains to be seen if the owners will face any punishment as according to authorities, the dogs were properly secured within a vinyl fence. The little boy is expected to recover from this terrible accident.

How do you feel about this tragic event? Have you ever been party to a incident like this? Do you think either dog should be put down?