He was abandoned on a dirt road in Cyprus after being thrown out of a moving car.

Four months later, Cody the puppy has found a new home in Northern Ireland — with a dog-loving soldier who rescued him from disaster.

The pup, just nine months old, was taken in by Major Christine Woodrow after she heard about his plight and |decided to adopt him.

He was kept as a pet by a group of soldiers before arriving at his new home in Ulster just last week.

Christine, from Clonaver Barracks in east Belfast, said the dog was “delighted” with his new surroundings.

She found Cody on the floor of a quarter-master’s office while visiting RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus.

She said: “I just fell in love with him — he was so friendly, despite people being mean |to him.”

Cody, a Cypriot poodle, served as a mascot for Christine and other troops from the Territorial Army who were living in the barracks in Nicosia.

Christine said: “He just settled in to the barracks right away and was delighted to be with anyone.”

When the soldiers returned to their base in Northern Ireland, Cody was sent to kennels in Cyprus before he was allowed to follow Christine home.

She paid for his vet checks and quarantine fees and flew the pup over to live with her in east Belfast.

“It’s a happy ending for both of us,” she said.