WARNING: This story contains details and photos some readers may find distressing.
A Perth mother says she feared her four-year-old daughter would not survive a vicious dog attack that left her with puncture wounds all over her body.
Lucia's family was holidaying last week in Quindalup, near Dunsborough, and were playing in knee-deep water at a beach when a stranger's Rottweiler raced towards the girl.
It grabbed her by the neck and shoulder, repeatedly dragging her under the water.
Lucia's mother feared she would not survive the attack. (Supplied)
Her mother Natalie and her two older siblings rushed to her aid, but the animal wouldn't release its grip.
“I ran into the water to try to pull Lucia off,” Natalie said.
“However, the power and the strength of a dog of this breed and size, you're powerless to do anything.”
Mother feared the worst
A bystander did manage to force the dog off the child, who by this stage was largely unresponsive.
“She was listless, bleeding heavily. Her neck, shoulder and back had big puncture wounds. She wasn't even crying,” Natalie said.
Lucia was taken to Busselton Hospital and later flown to Perth to undergo surgery.
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Her mother feared for her daughter's life.
“The ordeal was absolutely horrendous in every way,” she said.
“But when you can see that their heartbeat is stable, that's all you care for at that point.
“You know that those [wounds] will heal.
Four-year-old Lucia was flown to Perth for hospital treatment after the dog attack. (Supplied)
“But to not know that she was going to survive, that's hugely traumatic.”
Path to healing
Natalie says the incident has left her family traumatised.
She's now sharing her story, a week later, in the hope it will serve as a warning to other parents about the unpredictability of dogs around children, particularly large, powerful breeds.
The attack happened on a beach where dogs are permitted off-lead.
The local council, the City of Busselton, said it's investigating the incident, and the dog involved has been put down.
Rottweilers are not one of the restricted dog breeds in Australia. File photo. (Flickr: Roel Wijnants)
There are several dog breeds that are restricted in Australia, meaning owners must adhere to a strict set of regulations, including having the dogs on a lead when in public.
Rottweilers are not on that list, but other recent attacks involving the breed have prompted calls for them to be added.
After her experience, Natalie is also in support of the move.
Natalie says that dogs can be unpredictable, and the consequences could be deadly. (ABC News: Glyn Jones)
“They have the propensity to cause huge amounts of injury or damage, they are often unpredictable and most of the time when they attack, it's unprovoked,” Natalie said.
“That's just not a risk that any responsible parent is willing to take, therefore they need to be armed with the knowledge of this is what these dogs look like, and they cannot be trusted.”
Lucia is recovering at home now but is terrified of dogs. (ABC News: Charlotte Hamlyn)
Lucia is now back at home, recovering, and her family is trying to come to terms with what they witnessed.
“She cannot be around our family pet now. She doesn't want to go to the beach or be around dogs anymore,” Natalie said.
“That beach is where most of our family holiday memories are. It should be a safe place. It's going to be a bit of a road to turn it back into that, from a place of fear.”
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