Wade Newman, a truck driver, remembers very little about the August 19 crash that left him with serious burns and scrapes to his arms and face.
"The last thing I saw was yellow which would have been the loader that I ran into,” said Newman. “And flames coming up through the dash. And then the truck on its side and sliding."
As the truck lay on its side, Newman tried desperately to get his two dogs out of the burning cab, even as the flames roared over him.
"The heat was getting intense so I jumped out and rolled around on the ground to make sure I wasn't on fire and then I went back to try and convince them to come out,” he said.
Sasha, an Australian dingo cross, escaped with only singed whiskers.
But Snowflake, a two-year-old standard poodle has severe burns on her legs and body.
She’s receiving extensive care at the Winnipeg Humane Society and the cost of the treatments is adding up.
WHS posted a video about Snowflake’s recovery on Facebook, encouraging people to chip in and help offset the cost of her treatment.
"We're hoping to raise about 20-thousand dollars for her care,” said Dr. Erika Anseeuw, director of animal health at WHS. “We're probably going to have to refer her to a specialty facility to have the skin grafting done."
Newman, who spent six days in hospital himself, has only been able to visit Snowflake once so far.
"She just jumped up instantly and she came right to life and was so happy to see me. It just rips your heart out,” he said, choking back tears.
Despite her extensive injuries, staff at WHS say Snowflake has been remarkably calm and easy to work with, only showing serious emotion when Newman was there.
"When he or his family has come to visit, she cries,” said Dr. Anseeuw. “She's just so in love with him. So we want to get them back together."
"I just hope that people can help out and bring her home to me as soon as possible,” said Newman.
As Snowflake’s treatment continues, that homecoming might not happen for several weeks or even months.
