Horrific video released by an animal rights group this week shows the terrifying moment a terrier-bull mix dog ran into a church parking lot and attacked a five-year-old girl as she was walking with two adults.

The incident took place near a Colorado Springs church on October 20.

Surveillance video captures a child and the two adults headed toward a car in the parking lot of the church.

Suddenly, a few dozen feet away, a dog is seen running down the street and toward the parking lot.

A five-year-old girl (bottom right in the light blue jacket) watches as a dog (seen second from left) comes charging at her inside a church parking lot in Colorado Springs on October 20

The dog leaps at the little girl and bites her left arm, refusing to let go

The adults nearby immediately rush to get the dog off of the little girl

The two adults manage to pry the dog loose from the five-year-old girl, who suffers moderate injuries to her left arm

The animal then runs toward the family and leaps at the girl, biting her in the left arm and refusing to let go.

The girl’s startled relatives then force the dog off of the girl after about a 20-second struggle.

The girl suffered moderate puncture wounds to the left bicep and forearm - injuries which required medical treatment.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region posted video on its Facebook account showing the attack.

The dog's owner was charged with unlawful ownership of a dangerous animal

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region said that the owner chose to have dog euthanized

The organization said that the dog’s owner was arrested and charged with unlawful ownership of a dangerous animal.

In such cases, the dog’s owner can choose either to pay for the animal to be boarded up with an accredited agency or to put the dog down.

In this case, the owner chose to have the dog euthanized.

The Humane Society posted the video in order to raise awareness of a Bite Blotter, an online log of incidents in which domestic animals become violent toward other animals and people.

The group wrote: 'To prevent bites and attacks, pet owners need to follow the basic tenets of responsible pet ownership - spaying and neutering to prevent roaming, keeping your pet restrained at all times, and seeking professional training before a behavior escalates.'

The names of the young girl and the dog owner in this case have not been released by the authorities.

DailyMail.com reached out to Animal Law Enforcement for comment.