"they had been given the dog by a family friend"... this bit really makes me wonder what had happened to the dog before hand for it to just turn like that - its very vague...
Its an awful thing that happened to those boys and to their whole family - its so sad.
I think stories like this are always exaggerated by the newspapers though, with no real explaination or history/background - and they do like to make things sound extraordinary...
Most dogs are loyal friendly and compassionate and would never harm anyone if they are brought up correctly and looked after well, and its such a shame that the newspapers make all dogs look bad by printing stories in such a sensationalised way.
I hope the boys are both ok, and recovering well x