A DOG believed to have been thrown from a car needs a home.

Chance, as he has been christened by his foster carers, had injuries consistent with having been thrown from a speeding car. He lived for several weeks on the central reservation of one of Britain's busiest motorways.

The lurcher, thought to be a two-year-old, suffered a serious head injury on the A1(M) in County Durham.

Over the following weeks, he was seen several times on the roadside between Durham City and Chester-le-Street, but he evaded all attempts to capture him, despite being close to starvation.

He was finally caught by Barbara Ross, from South Shields, South Tyneside.

She said: "I had seen him several times running down the central reservation, but he had always got away. Just before Christmas, I spotted him asleep on the embankment near Washington and me and a friend, still in our business suits, managed to catch him.

"He was in an awful state, he had a big scar on his head - presumably where he had been thrown from the car - and his mouth was bleeding because he had been eating dead hedgehogs to survive."

After a trip to the vets to treat his injuries, Chance has lived in several foster homes while waiting for a permanent place to live.

He is fully vaccinated, micro-chipped and house-trained. Although he needs a fair amount of exercise, he is good with people and other animals.

Anyone interested in giving Chance a home is asked to call Ms Ross on 07974 305544 or 0191-416 3666.