Georgia ? A south Georgia woman bloodied in a car wreck says she owes her life to a German shepherd who – thankfully – just wouldn’t stay in his yard.

Shannon Lorio says that after her car careened down an embankment, the dog found her bruised and battered on the vehicle’s trunk, pulled her by her shirt collar, dragged her about 50 yards through briars to a highway and let her lean against him so she could flag a passing motorist.

His new name: Hero.

Hero’s previous owners have signed him over to the Thomas-ville-Thomas County Humane Society since the Jan. 26 accident because he kept wandering off.

He won’t be in the shelter long: Not only have at least 50 people offered to adopt him, a dog trainer has agreed to see if he has the right stuff for search and rescue work.

Lorio, 36, said she can’t adopt Hero because she already has six dogs, but she’s showered him with gifts including a huge bone and a stuffed animal.

Dog trainer Heidy Drawdy, of Thomasville, will take Hero next week to see if he’s cut out to be a search and rescue dog.

First item on the agenda for the wandering canine: obedience training.