Dog Fights Off Javalina Protecting Weslaco Family
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WESLACO – A family who got an unexpected visit from wild animals shares a warning. The city of Weslaco tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS someone brought the animals into the city.
Livestock is not allowed within city limits. The Weslaco Code Enforcement Office says they believe someone brought in wild animals into the neighborhood. They ended up in a family's backyard.
In the middle of a busy part of Weslaco, 8-year-old Gianna and her brother were bouncing on a trampoline. They were interrupted.
"I heard a little scratching noise, or like something," she said.
They got down and something started chasing them.
"It was right behind me. Inches away from me,” Gianna said.
Gianna and her brother ran inside and told their mother, Marlene Aguirre.
Aguirre went outside. That's when she saw them. Two wild pigs roaming her yard.
Aguirre said, "It chased me, and that's when he came running."
Her dog, Jack, jumped in before the wild pigs could reach her. They fought and both become injured.
"It missed the main arteries. It got both sides but it missed the main one that was in the middle," she explained.
Aguirre called the city. It required a tranquilizer and a team of people to catch the pigs. Weslaco's Health Official, Joe Pedraza, says these pigs didn't wander in from ranchlands.
"You might have your occasional hog here and there, but javelinas like that. That got brought in from somewhere," Pedraza said.
Pedraza says there's an ordinance in place to deter this from happening. Now, Aguirre hopes this serves as a reminder of why that ordinance is in place.
Aguirre said, "This could have been my child. This could've been my 9-year-old, my 7-year old. Thank goodness it wasn't. Yes, he's my animal. He's my baby. But, it could've been worse.”
Aguirre says they spent about $200 paying for Jack's medical needs. They had to pawn their child's X-Box to pay for it.
Pedraza tells us city employees went around asking if the pigs belonged to anyone in the neighborhood. No one lay claim to them. Whoever does, can expect a citation.
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