stop chasing me The toddler repeatedly hits a dog with a plastic bottle before the long-suffering pet finally cools down and pounces on the boy

A disturbing video shows a toddler’s narrow escape after repeatedly hitting a dog with a water bottle.

The clip, shot in the streets of Beirut, Lebanon, shows a muscular dog standing on its hind legs in front of its owner.

A curious toddler runs up to the dog and gently hits him on the head with a plastic bottle from behind. The animal did not respond and instead looked up at its owner and patiently waited for another command.

But the toddler quickly turns back and hits the dog from behind with increasing ferocity.

The pet remains undaunted at first, but after four or five pets it suddenly growls and turns to the boy, growling and barking.

The child was saved by the quick-thinking owner, who managed to grab the dog’s collar just before it fell out.

The clip, which has been viewed millions of times, has caused division among social media users.

Some argued that the child was not acting out of defense, but was simply learning about its environment and developing motor skills, and encouraged the owner to walk the dog on a leash in a public place.

“You are guilty of putting this animal in a situation…the dog can do serious harm…not free roaming and in public,” one user said.

“Wow, it’s amazing how people put the responsibility on the child. The kid doesn’t look a day older than two…kids that age don’t listen, they just investigate and are very curious…kids can’t judge danger,” added another.

However, many others argued that the child was to blame and slammed his parents for allowing him to recklessly beat the dog without interfering.

It is unclear if his parents were present, although the clip shows a woman in a pink jacket and jeans giggling as the boy runs off to follow her.

“This kid should have been next to his parents, holding up one hand and saying, ‘Look, don’t touch,'” one comment read.

“Here’s a kid doing something stupid that kids do and the parents don’t seem to be anywhere. You can easily lose a kid to a dog that gets violent.”

The clip, taken on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon, shows a muscular dog doing a trick on its hind legs when a toddler comes up from behind and hits it with a plastic bottle

At first the dog doesn’t respond, but after four or five snaps the dog snaps and barks at the toddler while the owner grabs her by the collar

“How can these little kids run up and cause trouble without their parents or guardians pulling them out of their shoes? Is that this boy’s mother just giggling and walking in the background?’ one person asked.

“The dog was fine until the boy met him. Would you be happy if someone kept hitting you with a water bottle? Try to discipline your children,” said another.

“And… they will blame the dog. This kid is lucky the puppy is better behaved than him,” added another.

It was unclear what breed the dog in the video was. However, it could be a pit bull or a Staffordshire bull terrier.

The former has a reputation for being able to bite and charge with little provocation, while the latter is known as the “guard dog” for its gentle temperament, although similar in build to pit bulls with an incredibly powerful bite.