Thursday, February 14, in Alachua County, Florida, is a day to remember for Mr. Bobby Pate and his dog Breeze.
Smokie Vehicle
Mr. Pate recalls seeing smoke come out of his dashboard while driving on Williston Road with Breeze at the back seat. He and his dog loved to drive this road. Even so, because of the smoke, Pate decided to turn around and go back home. Soon after turning he saw flames coming out of his dashboard. “This is not right,” Pate thought. He jumped out of his vehicle as fast as he could.
The truck is on Fire
As the fire spread and grew more prominent, Breeze couldn't get out of the care fast enough and suffered some nasty burns.
Mr. Pate remembers being scared for his dog and yelling his dog's name several times before Breeze jumped out of his truck. He recalled seeing his dog on fire and suffered first-degree burns around his eyes and body.
Fire and Rescue Responds
Luckily, Sheryl Strickland, a fire and rescue technician, came to their assistance. She remembered checking on Mr. Pate making sure he was okay. Confirming that he was okay, she immediately checked on Breeze looking for any injuries.
Sheryl observed Breeze with significant injuries; she immediately took Breeze for treatment right away. Strickland knew the best location would be the emergency room of the Veterinary Medicine Hospital of the UF.
Emergency Treatment
The veterinary hospital staff treated Breeze for burns using the medicated ointment. This procedure required Breeze to wear mittens for his paws. Especially traumatized they did not look good. Since Breeze suffered a first-degree burn, a debridement was also done to prevent wound infection. This procedure will also help his skin heal faster.
Dr. Jenny Groover of the University of Florida’s Veterinary Medicine Hospital mentioned that it might take up a month for the wounds to fully heal.
Home and Recovering
One week following the incident, Mr. Pate and Ms. Strickland have reunited once again, with Breeze doing better after the event.
Below is the video of Breeze's story:
Video source: Volker Thomas MultimediaJournalist via YouTube
Thanks to our friends over at WCJB for sharing with us the original story.