More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition to spare the lives of two dogs after a biting incident that left a 4-year-old boy with an amputated arm.
Authorities said the child was in the yard of a home in Layton, Utah, on Sunday when he reached through a vinyl fence and into a neighbor's yard where the two dogs were.
Layton Fire Battalion Chief Jason Cook told NBC News that the child had a sock on his arm and that one of the dogs bit him so severely it cut off a part of his arm.
The child was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition where he underwent surgery, Cook said. The fire battalion chief said he has "never been a part of a call like that" during his 29-year career.
The dogs, which are both huskies, are now quarantined by Davis County Animal Control amid the investigation.
Rhett Nicks, director of the animal shelter, told NBC-affiliate WCMH-TV that there is a chance the dogs, named Polar and Bear, may be put down due to the severity of the child's injury.
"We are doing a dangerous dog investigation, which could range from nothing being done up to euthanasia," he said.
Following the incident, a woman who says she is a friend of the dogs' owner created a petition on Care2 asking for the dogs to be saved.
"This situation is unfortunate on both sides," the petition reads. "There are fears that Bear might be put down and he doesn't deserve to be put down for this freak accident."
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 104,000 people had signed the petition.
It's not clear when the Davis County Animal Control will make a decision on the fate of the dogs. The animal shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.