Gold Coast dog attack: Little Manny, 5, had just got out of pool

In a tragedy that has left first responders traumatised, a five-year-old boy is dead after a dog attack in a Gold Coast back yard.

A little boy who died during surgery after he was attacked by a dog on the Gold Coast on Christmas Eve had just got out of the pool with his grandmother when the animal lunged.

The Courier-Mail understands the five-year-old boy, Emmanuel, had not been playing with the dog, as early reports suggested, but instead had been swimming in the pool with his grandmother at a Varsity Lakes home the family was house-sitting.

It is understood the homeowner’s English bull terrier-American bulldog cross attacked unprovoked, biting the boy’s back and neck.

His grandmother, 41, was treated for injuries to her hands and arms from when she tried desperately to free him from the animal.

A dog believed to be the one responsible for the attack. Picture: 9 News Queensland

A neighbour also jumped a back yard fence to help.

The boy went into cardiac arrest before paramedics administered an emergency blood transfusion.

He was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital where doctors spent several hours operating on the boy in surgery but he could not be saved.

The Christmas Eve tragedy left his family in grief and emergency responders horrified.

In a statement, a Gold Coast City Council spokesperson would not comment on the history of the dog or whether it had been the subject of any previous incidents or complaints.

“The city’s animal management team are aware of the alleged attack and are presently investigating,” the statement said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist with Manny’s funeral costs.

Originally published as Gold Coast dog attack: Little Manny, 5, had just got out of pool