The flames broke out on Dora Street near Center Avenue around 7 am last Tuesday.
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Ronnie Stallworth says the flames started in his home.
He was inside with his life partner Cathy Ryan and his dog, Valentine.
Sadly, Ryan did not make it out alive, but Stallworth and Valentine did.
"The last time I saw Valentine, she was coming from of the bedroom. It looked like she was going toward the bathroom. And I guess, I would wanna think, she was going there after Kathy," said Stallworth.
Stallworth says Valentine is his service dog, and they've been together since she was nine months old.
Now, his precious pup is being treated for painful burns covering much of her body, many of them too disturbing for us to show.
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Sharon Lohman is the president of the Non-profit organization New Beginnings for Merced County Animals.
She says she received a call about Valentine surviving the fire, and the tragic story touched her heart.
"I thought, you know, we need to help this guy. This is all Ronnie has left," said Lohman.
Lohman then turned to Valley Animal Hospital in Merced.
"We've just been taking it slowly and try to keep her comfortable," Lohman explained.
Veterinarian Adam Lauppe says Valentine is a sweet dog and has a long road to recovery ahead of her.
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The burns are so bad that her skin is falling off.
"It's going to take weeks to months. It really depends on how that skin grows. Once we get kind of this clean bed, basically of healthy tissue, which we're on our way there, we're close to that," said Lauppe.
Lauppe says if her skin doesn't heal sooner than later, Valentine may be transferred to U-C Davis, where she could get a skin graft to speed up her recovery.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Valentine during her recovery.
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