Lost donkey gets a ride in the back of a police car

An Oklahoma police officer has won hundreds of hearts - after giving a lost donkey a lift in the back of his patrol car.

Officers received a report of a donkey roaming around in the town of Norman, and officer Kyle Canaan felt he had no other choice than to put it in the back of his car to keep it safe.

See also: Donkey in five-hour rescue from water-filled storm drain

See also: Cruise passenger killed by donkey in Santorini

The donkey, nicknamed Squishy, was first spotted by a woman on her way to work called Robin Strader.

Strader said she was happy to have Squishy on her property while they looked for the owner, but she couldn't fit it in her car, so he went in the police vehicle.

She found him wandering along a busy road and said he could easily have been killed.

The picture of the animal in the back seat of the police car was uploaded to Facebook, along with a caption that read: "Our officers encounter unexpected things every day while on-duty.

"This morning, officer Kyle Canaan responded to a call regarding a donkey on the loose in the 8100 block of 120th Avenue NE.

To ensure the safety of the animal, he helped transport the donkey to a nearby home for safe keeping until its owner could be located.

"It's not everyday that you see a donkey in the backseat of a police car!"

One Facebook user said: "Thank you for having a kind heart, Officer Canaan."

Another joked: "Cleaner than most folks that sit in the back!"

However, the donkey wasn't so clean after all as, according to Sky News, it went to the toilet in the car.

Officer Canaan told Pix11.com: "It used the bathroom in the back of my police car. I mean, I must have got it right after breakfast, because there was a lot."

Ms Strader plans to adopt the donkey herself if the owner doesn't come forward.