4-year-old boy has entire right arm ripped off by pit bull after he stuck his hand inside pen

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A four-year-old boy has reportedly had his arm ripped off after he was attacked by a pit bull puppy in Tecumseh, Oklahoma.

The boy, Axel Foster, was with his grandmother on Friday when his arm became stuck in a pen of puppies, as KFOR reported.

Aaron McCormick, an officer for Tecumseh Police Department, said he found “the arm inside [the pen], and one of the puppies was trying to chew on it”.

The grandmother was meanwhile found standing in the driveway of the home, apparently helpless, when officers arrived at the scene.

Chief JR Kidney from the Tecumseh Police Department said “When officers and animal control attempted to retrieve the arm, the dog became aggressive to them”.

“To be over just an innocent type thing of wanting to pat some puppies, it’s just devastating,” he said.

The boy’s mother told KFOR that Axel was taken to a hospital. Doctors were unable to reattach his arm, however.

“I don’t know what he’s going through. I never went through it. But he’s only a child,” she said.

Axel’s aunt, Julie Foster, added that the four-year-old was “doing very well, he’s improving every day,” and that his family were “so proud” of him.

She added that Axel’s father has parental custody of the four year old.

According to Fox59, the dog had to be put down following the attack.

The Tecumseh Police Department are reportedly investigating if Axel was supervised at the time, which could lead to charges against the grandparents.

The incident follows the death of a four-year-old, Xavier Strickland, who was killed by a pit bull in Detroit, Michigan, in 2015.