This is the moment a heroic pooch plays dead after being shot by a kidnapper and then flies at the gunman to save a young girl from being snatched.

The chilling CCTV footage, reportedly recorded in the courtyard in front of the young girl’s home, shows the gunman firing a military assault rifle at the dog which drops to the ground and lies still.

Apparently certain the dog is dead, the kidnapper moves in to grab the terrified girl. Seen in the footage wearing a yellow dress, who looks no older than five.

But as he takes his eye off the crafty dog, it flies up and clamps its powerful jaws on the would-be abductor’s gun arm.

As its teeth sink in the gunman lets go of his victim and drops his gun in agony.

Then as the dog drags him around, the footage that had notched up 4.5 million views ends.

The video has gone viral all over social media in Latin America but its origins remain a mystery.

One media outlet says it was filmed in Hermosillo, in the Mexican state of Sonora. While another claims it happened in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

But other reports claim it was a training video showing a guard dog practising its skills and being filmed in the process.

It is currently unclear if police are investigating the incident and are treating it as a genuine kidnap bid.