LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A local dog rescue is working to get justice for a dog they believe was severely tortured and abused. Love is Fur Ever Dog Rescue saved Whiskey Duncan, an 8-month-old, 70-pound Great Dane mix, from Miami Dade County.
**WARNING: the video above is graphic.***
"He lost a ton of blood," the rescue's Founder, Victoria Frazier, said. "We literally think somebody has taken his tail, put a rope on him, held him down, dragged him for whatever reason to some extent, and then likely sawed or cut off his tail."
The drag wound on Whiskey's hip is 12 inches in diameter.
"Literally down to the nerves. You can see his nerves," Frazier said.
"He had very fresh exposed muscle, and it looks like it had gone through a cheese grater. It was painful," Dr. Thomas Jackson of Advanced Veterinary said. "We used four bottles of fentanyl. That was more than we've done in years.”
Whiskey was given several medications and hooked up to what's called a wound vacuum for two and a half days to remove all the dead tissue. Then he was ready for skin-grafting surgery to close his wounds. He also had to remove more of Whiskey's tail to get it to heal.
"A little bit of it had to be removed more to where the tissue was healthy, and it's closed and not so painful anymore,” Dr. Jackson said. "Once we took the pain away, he was a love."
It's hard for Whiskey's rescuers to imagine how or why someone would do this to him.
"I try not to feel because if it do, it ends up being a bad place. There should be repercussions," Dr. Jackson said.
Love is Fur Ever Dog Rescue is determined to make that happen.
"I sent Miami Dade's Rescue Coordinator some questions about where was he found, things like that. Miami Dade is very hush-hush with a lot of that stuff," Frazier said.
Through a public records request, she found out Whiskey was spotted on someone's front porch covered in blood, unable to move. That person tipped off Miami Dade Animal Services, who picked him up. When Frazier had trouble getting detectives in Miami to start an investigation, she reached out to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
"They are actually going to help to start the investigation here in Lee County, and then work its way over to the Miami area," Frazier said.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office said it took down an informational report to send over to Miami Dade County. Frazier said this is the first step toward justice for a pup, who in his short life, has already been through so much.
"He's gentle. A very gentle boy," Frazier said. I cannot tell you how charming this dog is. His eyes are just mesmerizing.”
The Lee County Sheriff's Office also said it wants to make Whiskey a Deputy Dog once he's recovered.
Frazier estimates it will cost at least $15,000 to bring Whiskey back to full health. To learn more about Whiskey, or to donate, click here.
