Dog walks itself home after visually impaired owner killed in hit-and-run

The dog was sitting at the front door of its owner's home

Police said the incident happened in Nashville's Madison neighbourhood on Wednesday around 6:30am, according to a report by ABC News.

A 50-year-old woman was said to have been walking her dog across a bridge on Rio Vista Drive when she was hit by a pickup truck, Nashville Police Department told the outlet. The driver fled the scene.

Police identified the vehicle involved as a 2009-2014 Ford F-150, from chrome grill parts found on the roadside.

There were no known witnesses to the collision.

According to ABC, a passerby found the victim and called 911.

The woman, whose name has not yet been released was rushed to hospital, but was later pronounced dead.

After identifying the woman, police went to her apartment complex where they found her dog, unharmed, and sitting at the front door.

The dog is now reportedly in the care of Nashville's Metro Animal Control while police try to locate the woman's family.

If none are found, the pet will be re-homed.

The dog bears some similarity to Hachikō, a male Japanese Akita who became an international cultural symbol of loyalty.

Hachikō met his owner at a Tokyo train station each day after his commute home. When the owner died at work in 1925, Hachikō famously returned to the station every day, awaiting his owner's return until his own death in 1935.