BY HEDY KHOO

IT WAS a horrific sight. A 6-year-old girl lay in a mangled mess, the victim of an attack by a sterilised Great Dane cross breed.

Australian Isabella King miraculously survived the attack, which lasted just a few minutes, but the scars will remain with her forever.

After the 3-year-old dog, the size of a Labrador, finally let go of the girl, her scalp had been ripped and torn into two.

Isabella's right shoulder had also been bitten to the bone. She sustained puncture wounds and lacerations on both arms and her front tooth was knocked out.

What triggered the attack? Nobody seems to know.

Had Isabella listened to her mother and stayed in their north Queensland home early this month, the tragedy could have been avoided.

Followed her mother

But she didn't. Isabella followed her mother, Mrs Tamaine King, 37, to their neighbour's garden across the road for a few minutes to pick mangoes.

Isabella's father, Mr Asa King, 37, told The New Paper on Sunday in a phone interview: 'Isabella wanted to go too, but my wife told her to wait at home as it was nearly dinner time.'

He was cooking at that time and did not notice Isabella slip out of the house. She sneaked into the neighbour's fenced up garden - where the dog was kept - and ran up to her mother, who told her to go home.

It was then that the dog suddenly lunged at the little girl. It went into a biting frenzy, clamping its jaws over her head, ripping off her hair by their roots.

The neighbour tried to pry open its jaws while Isabella's mother forced a garden hose into its mouth.

Recalled Mr King, a contract manager: 'Her hair was all matted and caked with blood, and stuck to her head. I thought it was a deep gash at first.'

The mortified owners of the dog immediately had it chained, and it was put to sleep the next day.

The attack was only the beginning of Isabella's and her parents' ordeal.

The girl, who is still hospitalised, was so badly mangled and bloodied that her father did not realise at first that her scalp had been ripped off and torn into two pieces.

Accompanied by his brother, Mr King drove Isabella to the nearest hospital, which was a five-minute drive away.

Recounted Mr King: 'I was very surprised because Isabella stopped crying in the car and was able to speak to her uncle calmly and coherently.

'She said she had lost her front tooth and asked him if there were bite marks on her face.'

At the hospital, Mr King was horrified to learn his daughter's scalp had been torn off, with one piece missing.

He recounted: 'I panicked and raced home to search for it and even asked the neighbours.'

Doctors later found the scalp had been stuck to Isabella's back, tangled up in her hair.

As the community hospital near their home was not fully equipped, Isabella had to endure a long journey to the Brisbane Women's and Children's Hospital, about 2,611km away from the mining town of Weipa, where the Kings live.

Said Mr King: 'It took 61/2 hours to prepare the private jet and fly it into Weipa. Then the flight to Brisbane took 21/2 hours. The operating theatre there needed 31/2 hours to prepare for the surgery.'

Doctors managed to reattach her salvaged scalp after an eight-hour emergency operation, but her dark brown locks may never grow back.

Skin graft

Only 70 per cent of Isabella's scalp could be reattached, during which doctors carried out a skin graft using skin from her right buttock.

Several minor surgeries were performed in the following days, in which doctors removed veins from her left hand to transplant onto her scalp in an attempt to stimulate blood circulation.

Medical leeches were used to prevent the blood between her scalp and skull from coagulating.

Isabella has endured eight blood transfusions thus far.

Even then, doctors have told the Kings that 70 per cent of the reattached scalp may have to be removed, as there has been too much cellular damage.

She was placed under intensive care for 10 days following the attack.

Doctors estimate she needs to stay hospitalised for at least a month more.

Her father put his daughter on the phone to speak with this reporter, but requested that no mention be made of the attack.

In reply to questions on how she felt, her reply was clear: 'I'm good.'

Does she miss home?

'No. Because my sister and everyone is here with me. It doesn't matter that I am not at home. It's who I get to see that makes me happy.'

Felt guilty

Mr King said Isabella felt guilty when told that the dog had been put down.

He said: 'I'm worried about the long-term psychological effects on her, especially since she loved having long hair, but we will have to learn how to deal with all those questions.'

The Kings, who also have an 8-year-old daughter and 7-month-old twins, are considering giving up their own pet dog, a Jack Russell, but Isabella is fond of the dog and objected.

Mr King's colleagues at Carpentaria Construction have set up a fund-raising trust to help the family meet medical expenses.