A homeless veteran of the Canadian Coast Guard is pleading for help after being involved in a serious car accident along with his dog, Rocky.
Gregory Wright and his terrier were on their way to a food bank last week when the accident happened.
"Rocky was frightened," Wright said. "I tried helping him over the seat because he was stuck. I ended up clipping a telephone poles shearing it right off. We ended up flipping several times."
Wright came away from the accident relatively unscathed. He had some serious bruising, but no broken bones. Rocky, however, was left paralyzed.
While the dog can sense that doctors are doing something to his back legs, he can't move them or carry his own weight, said Dr. Roey Kestleman, Rocky's veterinarian.
Now, Rocky needs an MRI that could cost as much as $5,000. His entire treatment could cost up to $20,000.
The Regional Animal Protection Society in Richmond is raising funds to pay for Rocky's care.
"Nobody should have to give up their animal because of the expensive cost of animal health care," said Eyal Lichtmann, spokesperson for the society.
In its appeal for funding, the society also asks supporters to reach out if they have a housing opportunity that would welcome both owner and animal.
Wright served in the Coast Guard for many years and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He and Rocky were renovicted shortly after finding each other, and have been unable to find affordable, pet-friendly housing since.
They have been living in a motorhome and have been inseparable for the last six years.
"I found him on Craigslist of all places," Wright said of his dog. "I was going through some pretty traumatic times. I guess you can say he found me."
Wright said it's a frightening time for him while Rocky is at the RAPS animal hospital undergoing treatment and awaiting his MRI.
"It scares me, but I do have hope," he said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Regan Hasegawa
