A two-year-old girl from Michigan got her lower arm ripped off when she reached inside the cage of a wolfdog at the sanctuary owned by her grandmother.
The little girl's grandmother, Brenda Pearson, said that what happened was a very unfortunate accident.
Pearson is the founder of the Howling Timbers Animal Sanctuary in Muskegon.
A post on Facebook spoke about the incident.
According to Pearson, they believed that the little girl had wanted to get the shiny collar, which was worn by the wolfdog, whom she described as very friendly, according to a report on the New York Post.
Pearson said that her granddaughter might have reached inside the cage and grabbed at the collar, and the wolfdog had pulled hard against it. This resulted in the girl's arm getting stuck and eventually getting ripped off.
They had rushed the girl to the nearest medical facility.
Her grandmother went back and got the severed arm, which was still clenched tight as if holding on to something.
Pearson said that she feels distraught just thinking about the incident, according to the Metro UK.
Pearson added that she initially thought that the wolfdog had bitten her granddaughter, but she realized that the wolfdog had not done anything when she thought things over.
According to Pearson, if her granddaughter had been bitten when she reached her arm into the cage, the arm would have had teeth marks on it.
But the arm had no teeth marks. Only a small cut on her wrist was found.
Also read: Immense Great White Called Queen of the Ocean is Over 50 Years Old, Covered in Scars
Pearson was investigated by Child Protective Services (CPS) to see if she was to be blamed for the incident.
They later cleared Pearson of any doubt that she had been negligent. The CPS officer saw pictures of the severed arm. Asked if there were bite marks on it, he said there was none.
Pearson said she would give her arms to restore her granddaughter's, but it would not help.
Authorities found several irregularities at the sanctuary, which holds 47 illegal wolfdogs. Other animals found there were six red foxes, and several coyotes, among others, said the Mirror.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the sanctuary has been breeding animals. The breeding of certain kinds of animals like the wolfdogs are not allowed, said the government agency.
An official statement by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation said that a warrant was served at the Howling Timbers.
The agency alleges there are illegal-bred animals there like wolfdogs, which are not allowed. Keeping such cross-breeds as wolfdogs will need special permits.
Anna Cullen, a conservation officer, said no one should be allowed to approach those dogs.
Everything is getting done to make the sanctuary safe for humans and animals as well.
Pearson showed that Howling Timbers was registered on Oct. 19, 2010, by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
In a report on the Daily Mail, Pearson said that three coyotes were legal, not illegal.
The loss of the two-year-old girl's lower arm was unfortunate, but she may get a prosthetic soon via GoFundMe.
Related article: 2,000-Pound Female Great White Shark Swam Hundreds of Miles to Avoid Mating
