A stray dog who went to the rescue of an injured cyclist when he fell off his mountain bike has been adopted after being hailed a hero.

Marion Ion, 40, could not move after he crashed on the side of the road as darkness fell in a wooded area on Mount Semenic in Romania.

The canine came to his aid and stayed with the cyclist, keeping him warm until police and an ambulance arrived.

The dog then jumped into the vehicle with Mr Ion and then despite being taken out by officers, he even ran after the ambulance as it was driven away.

Image: Marion Ion and his canine saviour following his rescue. Pic: Jandarmeria Caras Severin

Mr Ion said of the crash aftermath: "When I left the bike, he came after me. I called him slowly, 'come on, come on'. I named him Squares."


He added: "He stayed, just stayed, saw that I was not leaving, and came next to me and stayed on the blanket.

"The ambulance came and he jumped in the ambulance with me. He was next to my feet, but the police took him.

"And the police said that after the ambulance left, he ran after the ambulance."

Mr Ion is recovering in hospital after being treated for mild hypothermia and a dislocated hip.

And the dog, who has now been named Max, has been adopted by the vice-president of Caras-Severin county council Ionut Mihai Popovici.

Loredana Falca, from the dogs centre association in Resita, said: "He was a hero, considering that he kept him company and warmed that man. I said he deserves more than to be left in the woods."