hcifm blown fuse?

My daughters new puppy thought it a good idea to chew thru the power lead on my carpet shampooing machine (just when we needed it most) I bought a new 3 pin plug but the guy in Lowes couldn't tell me which colour wire went where. After a bit of dubious research I thought I knew what to do, but to save the interioor wiring I tried it in the garage [forgetting about the chest freezer there!!] I plugged in heard a pop and got no results from the carpet shampooing machine. Checked the fuze box and it all seemed ok [it wasn't] All the switches were in the on position except for a funny little bar with a bit of white on it. So 2 questions - is there a colour convention for rewiring a US 3 pin plug or does it depend on the appliance in which case I will try and hacksaw the old fitting open.
2 how do you repair a blown fuse as my freezer is not working.
Oh and anybody need a new dog?

Richard
March 2010