Dr. Raquel Fagan — Veterinarian
Since becoming the owner of Shamrock Animal Hospital in 2016, Dr. Fagan and her team at Shamrock Animal Hospital have pursued a simple mission. Do Great Work, Have Fun and Give Back.
Since 2019, Dr. Fagan has served as the Medical Director for Patriot Service Dogs, a nonprofit organization training service dogs for veterans. PSD trains service dogs from 8 weeks until around 2 years of age and matches them with a disabled US Veteran at no cost. By donating her time and resources, along with generous donations of products and services from veterinary industry partners, Dr. Fagan is able to provide all vaccinations, heartworm prevention, spay/neuter services at no cost to Patriot Service Dogs. On some occasions, that might mean bringing multiple puppies to the office for vaccines, exams or other treatments that may be necessary. She also speaks with the recipient veterans to go over the basic standards of care to keep the dogs healthy, productive and ready to work after they have been paired with a Patriot Service Dog.
PSD completes a significant portion of training in the largest women’s prison in Florida. The WOOF program allows incarcerated women to work with and train the dogs on approximately 85 different commands that are critical to their success upon placement. On multiple occasions throughout each year, Dr. Fagan will come to the prison, along with her technicians, to provide wellness exams and/or vaccinations for dogs that are currently in training at the prison. Not only does it allow her to see the environment that the dogs are being trained in, but it is also an opportunity to educate the inmate-trainers on a broad range of canine health topics and about opportunities that they may have in the animal health field following their release.
While there are hundreds of volunteers that help to fulfill the Patriot Service Dogs mission, Dr. Fagan and her entire team feel fortunate to be able to make positive changes in the daily lives of Veterans and their families that may have seemed out of reach to many.
Dr. Fagan and her team are a vital part of the PSD team!
