But, in the end, the bull mastiff cross was too strong for Joyce Higgins and two-year-old Deeon.
"Why didn't it take me? I'd do anything for the kids," Mrs Higgins said yesterday.
The toddler's family yesterday told the tragic story of their brave fight to save Deeon - and spoke of their heartbreaking loss.
Mrs Higgins, 71, had been looking after her grandson while his mother Vicki drove five minutes away to get McDonald's for one of his older brothers on Sunday afternoon. "See you later alligator," the cheeky little boy told his mum as she left the Deniliquin home, in the Riverina region near the Victorian border.
Deeon - whose great-uncle is horse racing legend Roy Higgins - went out the back with his grandmother to get an ice block from the outdoor freezer - one of the child's favourite treats when visiting his "Nanny".
That was when Kingston, the 57kg dog belonging to Deeon's 24-year-old cousin Darren Higgins, who also lived in the house, attacked.
The pet was usually tied to a tree but, on this rare occasion, was free in the backyard because Deeon and his grandmother had only planned to be outside "a minute".
Kingston had never shown aggressive traits before, Vicki Higgins said.
That was when Kingston, the 57kg dog belonging to Deeon's 24-year-old cousin Darren Higgins, who also lived in the house, attacked.
The pet was usually tied to a tree but, on this rare occasion, was free in the backyard because Deeon and his grandmother had only planned to be outside "a minute".
Kingston had never shown aggressive traits before, Vicki Higgins said.
He attacked Deeon again. This time, no matter what Mrs Higgins tried - putting her own fingers in the dog's mouth in an attempt to get him to bite her instead, hitting him with a belt and a broom - Kingston would not give up, and, after an almost 15-minute fight, she collapsed on the ground exhausted.
It was at this point Vicki arrived home to hear her mother calling her name.
She rushed to the laundry to see the elderly woman lying on the floor and her youngest child underneath the dog. "Deeon was in and out of consciousness," Ms Higgins, 40, said, tears streaming.
"I just remember pulling one of the dog's legs and getting under him and picking Deeon up. He (Kingston) still kept trying to jump up."
An ambulance was called to take Deeon to hospital, where a team of 10 doctors and nurses worked for 45 minutes to save him - his head and facial injuries were too severe.
Deeon's grandmother was left with shock and cuts and bruises to her arms and is still weak from the struggle. Deeon's death, and the deaths and injury of hundreds of others in dog attacks, has sparked The Daily Telegraph's Muzzle the Mutts campaign to better control dangerous dogs and their owners.
The Telegraph is calling for more powers for councils to declare a dog potentially dangerous - before it turns deadly - and seize dogs, along with a national reporting system for all dog bites and uniform dog registration laws.
The Telegraph also wants education for dog owners.
Ms Higgins yesterday paid tribute to her bubbly, AFL-mad little boy.
"I miss him like crazy," she told The Daily Telegraph.
"He was my little man."
(The Daily Telegraph - Aug 7, 2013)
