Four-year-old Austin Brown was playing in his backyard when he noticed “a puppy nose” peeking through a hole in his fence. According to Austin’s mother, Hope Brown, the young boy reached his hand through the fence to pet the dog when an animal’s jaws clamped down on his hand and tore it off from the elbow down.

It was a parent’s nightmare come true, but for the Brown family, it was just the beginning. For the past month, the family has seen has articles distorting the story and blaming them for their son’s injury, and they have received hate mail and threats online.

[Read the full story at kslnewsradio.com]