The first few weeks for Whiskey, a German Shepherd mix, at the Miami-Dade Animal Shelter were a little different than the rest of his kennel mates.
Instead of finding his way to his cage, and temporary home, he was immediately taken to the clinic of Dr. Maria Serrano, the shelter's chief veterinarian.
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Whiskey, formerly known as Victor, had just been hit by a car and was severely injured with two fractures on his right side.
“He came in severely injured. He had two fractured legs, both right front and right back," Dr. Serrano explained. "The front one actually had his bone sticking out, so it was pretty gruesome and painful for him.
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Whiskey's injuries were so severe that he was initially a candidate for amputation, something for which, according to the doctor, most clinics are not equipped.
For Dr. Serrano and her staff at the veterinary clinic, cases like Whiskey's are not uncommon and some of these pets are temporarily fostered by staff to help them heal.
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“We have so many animals that come in with so many needs," Dr. Serrano said. "From neonates to injured animals, not only our clinic staff, but our entire shelter staff is constantly taking animals home, even if it's for one day, it really helps them maintain that health status. From animals that are injured and need bandages changed to neonates that need bottle feeding, our staff does an amazing job at taking these animals home and giving them a lot of love for a little bit of time, enough to make them withstand that they're in a shelter and don't have a home."
However, unless the pet is surrendered by its owner, shelters are unaware of the animal's full medical history, which can make treatment in an emergency situation even more difficult.
“We do not have much history of the animals that come in, unless somebody brings them and tell us the information," Dr. Serrano said. "So sometimes that's a bit challenging, medically, because we just don't know what they've been through, we don't know how they've been raised, we don't know much information so that's something that's definitely a challenge."
Miami-Dade Animal Services' Pet Protection and Adoption Center is one of the shelters that does not perform orthopedic surgery, so Whiskey was in for a long 16-week recovery, which required casts to help stabilize his fractures.
“Orthopedic issues is probably something that not most shelters are able to take care of. But, It all depends on the shelter, some shelters don't have a veterinarian, some shelters have 10 veterinarians, so each shelter is a little different,” Dr. Serrano said. “We do go above and beyond, even if we don't have the possibility of doing orthopedic surgery, we make them better, if it's in our power, even if it takes 16 weeks."
Luckily for Whiskey, he was able to find a temporary “home” where he could recover comfortably without the stress of the shelter environment: Dr. Serrano's office.
"I took him in to my office to foster him because of course having two bandages is consuming to make sure it doesn't get dirty and these are bandages that we needed to change often and so we had to sedate him," Dr. Serrano said. "Him and I just kinda bonded in my office while we were just being roomies over there and I got to learn a lot about him. He's just an amazing, amazing dog."
This was something that, according to Dr. Serrano, not only allowed her to create a special bond with the dog, but was also essential to maintaining Whiskey's mental well-being.
"One of things that I find really amazing that we did for him is that dogs in shelters tend to get very stressed, and because he was able to recover in my office, his behavior has maintained very healthy," Dr. Serrano stated.
While acting as an office companion, Whiskey also quickly became a favorite of the shelter staff.
“One of the things we did see in my office is that when he was alone in the office, he would climb on top of the desk so he could look out the window, and he would sit there and just kind of watch all the people that came through the office, and that made him gain kind of a favorite status because everyone would send me pictures of him at the desk,” Dr. Serrano said.
Nearly six months later and once recovered, Whiskey finally arrived at the adoption ward, where he met his new family, Devyn Maher and Peter Alfaro.
The couple were looking to adopt a pet after losing their 13-year-old German shepherd on July 18, 2022. Maher says they were looking to adopt another German shepherd, who luckily for Whiskey, matched their description.
“It was kind of meant to be - I had made a list of a bunch of different German shepherds and Victor, who is now Whiskey, was on the list,” Maher said. “A couple of days went by, and my sister visited the shelter and took a video of Victor (Whiskey). She had no idea I had my eye on him, and as soon as I saw the video I instantly fell in love.”
Although Alfaro says that knowing Whiskey had suffered fractures worried them at first, they were determined to give him a new home.
“We were aware of the trauma he had suffered in the car accident and that worried us a little bit, you know, considering his health in the future, but I think once we decided we wanted to adopt a dog, we said 'hey, that's something we're going to overlook' and we're going to give him a second chance and really help rehabilitate and give him a good home,” Alfaro explained.
Now that Whiskey has begun to feel comfortable in his new home, he has begun to show his true personality.
“At first, he had us fooled because he was so calm. We had no idea he was going to be such a vocal dog and I guess that might be the Akita in him,” Alfaro said. “But he definitely lets you know, 'hey, I want attention' or 'hey, I want to go for a walk,' so we're getting used to it a little bit, but he's very good with people, super friendly.”
Whiskey has also continued to use his acrobatic skills, according to Maher, who says she's found him relaxing in peculiar places in the morning.
“He likes to climb on things, one day I found him on top of the table,” Maher laughed.
As for why the couple decided to name their new furry companion after a type of liquor, they say the inspiration, in part, came from their beloved German shepherd who had passed away.
His name? Bacardi.
“Our previous dog's name was Bacardi so we're going for the liquor names,” Maher said. “But 'Whiskey' matched his coat and I don't know, it went perfectly.”
Whiskey is the first pet Maher and Alfaro have adopted from a shelter, and while they say they didn't know what to really expect and are still learning, they want to share the importance of giving a pet a second chance.
“Adopting animals is giving them a second chance; (giving them) a happy home and really loving them, it's a really great thing,” Alfaro said. “It can come with the stigma that these animals may have previous trauma, behavioral issues or maybe they're not the 'ideal pet to adopt,' but I think it's really just a stigma and a lot of these animals just need a second chance.”
The duo is also especially grateful to the veterinary clinic staff at the shelter who helped Whiskey recover from his injuries.
“We would like to thank the doctors and veterinarians who cared for him and the staff, who were so open, attentive and loving to him," the couple said.
To view pets available for adoption at the Miami-Dade Animal Shelter, visit here.
