Jade the lab who escaped from her Rayleigh home and was badly injured after being hit by a truck on the highway is back where she belongs.

Owner Savonah Raeside Yablonski said the young dog is at home, wearing a splint but regaining her energy and spunk.

“It’s like having a puppy again,” Raeside Yablonski said Wednesday.

Despite her ordeal, Jade is still eager to go for car rides.

The black lab ran into the path of a truck on the morning of Jan. 15 and was seriously injured. She dragged herself across four lanes of traffic and rested in the ditch where she was picked up by RCMP and taken to a vet clinic.

An anonymous donor offered to cover some of the veterinary costs so efforts to save the dog’s life could begin. The lab suffered internal bleeding, a dislocated front elbow and other injuries.

The dog had no identification on her.

While Jade was getting medical attention, RCMP knocked on doors in Rayleigh trying to find her owner.

Raeside Yablonski said the phone number on a dog tag for Jade had been changed and a replacement tag hadn’t been obtained yet.

Neighbours in Rayleigh rallied around the dog and the family, which has had some tough financial times. They gathered $467 for the dog’s vet bills, while the anonymous donor put in $600.

Other donations have pushed the total to $1,500, but there is still more to be paid. The family will be making payments to cover the rest, she said.

Her three children are happy to have their pet home and while they have a fenced yard, they’ll be keeping an even closer eye on Jade when she goes outside.

The family is grateful to all who helped them with their vet expenses and get Jade back to health, Raeside Yablonski said.