A mother was forced to hold her son's head together with her hands after he was attacked by a vicious dog.

Caolan Hayden was mauled by the aggressive bull mastiff cross blue heeler named Buster on his neighbour's verandah in Woori Yallock, east of Melbourne on January 28.

The five-year-old was visiting their pet parrot named George when Buster escaped from behind a gate and pounced on Caolan on the front verandah.

Caolan's mother Riquel told Daily Mail Australia she knew something was wrong when she heard screaming from across the street.

'I heard my neighbour scream 'no Buster!' And I heard Caolan scream 'Mummy!' And I just ran as fast as I could,' Mrs Hayden said.

The dog had latched onto Caolan and threw him around 'like a ragdoll' for less than a minute, leaving him with gruesome injuries including puncture wounds and torn muscles to his head, neck, shoulders and legs and nearly tearing his left ear off.

Caolan Hayden was attacked by a vicious bull mastiff cross blue heeler on his neighbour's verandah in january

Caolan received gruesome puncture wounds to his head, ears, neck, shoulders and legs in the attack

One bite missed the Caolan's jugular vein by millimetres, with wounds around his ears and forehead being punctured right through to the bone.

'I got to the verandah at the front of the house and Caolan had come off from the dog at the top of the stairs and just ran,' Mrs Hayden said.

'I opened my arms at the bottom and Caolan dived straight down the five stairs into my arms and the the dog was coming right behind him.

'By some miracle, the gate has closed right on the dog's nose. Thank God, I don't know if we would be here if it didn't.'

Mrs Hayden picked up her son and started frantically making her way across the road, and could see the full extent of Caolan's injuries.

'I was half carrying him, half dragging him while holding his forehead together and just fell over in complete shock,' she said.

'He grabbed my hand and said 'come on Mummy you can do it.' He stayed so strong.

'I wrapped his head as good as I could. He had cut a major vein in his eye brow and it was all blood everywhere.

Caolan recovering in his Royal Children's Hospital bed with his father Mark by his side

Riquel Hayden with her son Caolan, who she said has showed incredible bravery, maturity and strength after the attack

'It was horrific. I've never seen anything like it.'

Mrs Hayden waited half an hour for an ambulance while holding Caolan's head in place, and called her husband Mark, who left work to be at their side and frantically called emergency services again to get them to hurry to help his son.

Once an ambulance arrived they had police in tow, who dragged Mr Hayden out of the house, where he was pepper sprayed by officers and tackled to the ground.

'Caolan was yelling 'please don't hurt my Daddy',' Mrs Hayden said. 'We couldn't believe it.'

They arrived at Royal Children's Hospital after an hour, where Caolan went in for emergency plastic surgery with Dr Felicity Connon, which lasted for nine hours.

'The plastic surgeons asked why he wasn't airlifted to the hospital after seeing his injuries,' Mrs Hayden said.

'He was very lucky he didn't need skin grafts. Dr Connon told me she was not stopping until she had done the best she could do.'

Caolan had two bouts of surgery on his wounds, with the first operation lasting for nine hours

Caolan dressed in his motorbike gear before the attack. Mrs Hayden said he never complained about being in pain the whole way through his terrifying ordeal

Mrs Hayden said Caolan woke up after his second operation happy and smiling and ready to play with his family

Caolan had a second operation on his wounds two days later, and after waking up was smiling in his bed and ready to play with his family.

'That kid has not once said he is in pain,' Mrs Hayden said. 'He has not complained once. If that was me, I would be sooking and crying.

'Caolan said to me 'it's alright Mummy, the doctors have put me back together and I am okay'.'

Buster was not known to have attacked before, but was a vicious and loud dog that had been complained about from other neighbours in the street.

Caolan's psychological trauma is triggered every time he hears a dog bark, sending him instantly into panic.

'The nightmares are horrific,' Mrs Hayden said. 'Sometimes he wakes up sobbing and screaming 'Buster is out the front, he's going to kill me'.'

Caolan with his father Mark on Christmas Day. His physical scars are healing nicely, but the mental trauma of the attack still haunts him

'I was telling him that Buster is in doggy prison but he doesn't believe me. Now I just say that Buster is dead.'

'I don't ever want him to have to fear, I hope to god it doesn't stay with him.'

Mrs Hayden hopes that Caolan's terrible ordeal will serve as a reminder to parents and owners of aggressive pets to be more vigilant.

'Always double check and triple check your locks,' she said. 'If you've got a child or anyone, please make sure they're secure.

'You can never ever be too careful when it comes to kids. If this saves one child or family then retelling it fifty times is worth it.

'It could be your best friend but you never know.

'It was something a little five-year-old shouldn't have to go through but he's a brave little boy.'