A mother has pulled off a dramatic rescue after a caravan was stolen with her three children inside and crashed into a ditch.

Police say the distraught mum climbed on top of the caravan and retrieved her kids – aged seven, five and two – by pulling them out through a skylight.

A 59-year-old man has been charged, accused of stealing the caravan with the kids and mother inside, from a Gold Coast property before driving into a ditch and injuring a dog.

The man allegedly attached the 1.5-tonne caravan to his station wagon using a single ratchet strap and drove away from the Tallai address about 5.30pm on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old mum, who is known to the man, was able to escape the caravan but her children remained inside, police said.

Her pet female Rottweiler was underneath the caravan when it was towed away. It suffered head and leg injuries.

The caravan gained momentum down a hill and overtook the station wagon before both vehicles crashed into a ditch about 80 metres from the property’s driveway.

The mother then managed to drag the children out through the skylight, police said.

The children weren’t injured but the man was taken to hospital as a precaution.

The Tallai man has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

He will appear in Southport Magistrates Court on November 10.

–AAP