Cyclist finds stray dog run over by car, puts it on his back, and finds it a new home

A cyclist in the United States who found a stray dog that had been run over by a car carried it to a nearby town on his back and managed to find it a new home.

Jarrett Little was riding with friends near Columbus, Georgia when he spotted the wounded pup, reports CBS News.

He said: "We stopped to regroup and he came out of the woods to greet us. He was really thin, ribs showing and had a lot of road rash and a broken leg.”

He and his friends gave the dog food and water, then he put the dog on his shoulders and rode into Columbus where they met a woman, Andrea Shaw, who was visiting the town on business and asked them what had happened.

"Right when we returned to my local bike shop to get him some more water and food, we instantly ran into Mrs. Andrea who was in town from Maine," explained Little.

"She decided to keep him and get him checked out medically,” he continued.

Not only that, she also decided to give the dog – whom she named Columbo, or ‘Bo’ for short – a new home, Little revealed.

"She paid for him to have his leg repaired with surgery and found an organisation that could help get him back to Maine to live on her horse farm."

He added: "Had I been five mins earlier or five mins later, we wouldn't have crossed paths with her. It's pretty cool how far he's come."

A Facebook page, adventures of Columbo, has been set up for the dog and also highlights other pups in need of help or new homes.

Shaw recounted Columbo’s medical treatment and journey to Maine, saying: "Bo traveled with 25 staples in his hind leg after having four pins to put in to stabilise the fractures and a full cast on a front leg to stabilise a broken toe.

He travelled with Canine Freedom Transportation, whom she said "gave him all his meds and kept him comfy until he was back in my arms.”