Guide dog jumps in front of bus to save blind owner

A guide dog in the US leapt in front of an oncoming bus to protect its blind owner and stayed by her side while paramedics tended to her.

Figo the golden retriever was guiding its owner, Audrey Stone, 62, across the street in Brewster, New York on Monday morning when a school mini bus failed to stop, The Journal News reports.

Figo's protective instincts kicking in, the loyal dog jumped in front of Ms Stone to take the blow, witnesses said.

Ms Stone suffered a fractured elbow and ankle, three broken ribs, and a cut to her head in the accident, while Figo suffered a deep cut to his right leg.

Paul Schwartz, who manages a petrol station across the road from the accident, said Figo tried desperately to be near Ms Stone while paramedics attended to her.

"He sat with me the whole time. He was limping as we put him on a big blanket on the sidewalk and it started to rain. He let us wrap up his leg without any problem," he said.

"He wasn't barking or crying or yelping. But he kept pulling toward her. After she was put on a gurney and taken away, he stopped doing that. He seemed a little lost after she left."

Ms Stone was treated in hospital while Figo was taken to a local vet for surgery.

The hero retriever is now "resting comfortably and recovering nicely", Middlebranch Veterinary Hospital said, with his right leg in a splint.

The driver of the school bus, which was carrying two kindergarten students, told police he did not see the pair crossing the road.

He has undergone drug and alcohol testing and an investigation is underway, police said.