Dog bites off 4-year-old boy's hand while playing in Utah backyard

A four-year-old boy was seriously maimed while playing with two dogs in his Layton, Utah, backyard on Sunday afternoon.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, stuck his arm, which was covered in a sock, through a gap between the ground and a solid vinyl fence to play with his neighbors' two huskies around 3:45 p.m., the Associated Press reports.

Layton Fire Battalion Chief Jason Cook said one of the dogs then bit the child forcefully and ripped off his hand as well as part of his lower arm.

First responders airlifted the victim to Primary Children's Hospital where he underwent surgery and is currently recovering, KSTU reports.

Police continued to search for the boy's missing limb so it could be reattached but ultimately fear the dog may have eaten it.

"There is fear that it was probably ingested by the dog that bit him," Chief Cook said. "So at this point, it does not appear that reattachment is going to be an option for us."

Both huskies were taken away by Davis Animal Control officers and placed in quarantine while the investigation continues.