A dozen javelinas attack woman walking dogs

But Tracy Gordon's quick morning trip turned into a daylong nightmare.

At 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, Gordon and her three Chihuahuas were attacked by a pack of javelinas, an unusual moment because Gordon's previous encounters with them on her daily walks were always uneventful.

It started with one javelina sighting on Snyder, near North Sabino Canyon Road. The javelina charged across the street, and though it seemed that the animal wasn't about to attack them, Gordon's dogs had assumed a confrontational stance.

"Their hair went up on their backs, and they had puffed up their chests," Gordon said.

Seconds after she picked up her dogs to protect them, 11 more javelinas seemed to appear out of thin air and surrounded Gordon.

"Typically, they don't travel in that big of a pack, and when they do, they tend to be aggressive," said Gordon, 34.

The attack was a blur, she said. One javelina bit her leg, which caused her to fall and drop the dogs. One or more javelinas had trampled her. Noticing that one of the dogs, Peatree, became a main target and was "being thrown like a rag doll," Gordon ran to a neighbor's home to call her husband, Greg, for help.

Another dog, Tino, suffered a large bite on the neck. The other Chihuahua, Bebe, was not injured.

Pima County Animal Care Center data released last month show 17 incidents since November 2001 in which one or more javelinas bit a person, including six bitings this year — more than in any year since 2002.

All bites except one were serious enough for the victim to seek medical treatment rather than treat the wound at home. Many of those injured were adults in their 40s or 50s, although one man bitten last January was 76.

Peatree was taken to the Pima Pet Clinic, where she had surgeries to fix a broken pelvis and damaged organs. As of Thursday afternoon, Peatree was in critical condition and in need of additional surgeries.

Tino received stitches, and she and Bebe are not allowed to leave the home for at least 45 days under orders from Pima Animal Care to watch for the onset of rabies. Gordon said her dogs all have had rabies vaccinations.

Gordon's leg was treated at Tucson Medical Center Wednesday, and she has begun rabies treatment.

Though Gordon didn't notice any baby javelinas in the herd, Tom Whetten, information education program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said a fairly young javelina might have been fearful of the dogs. He praised Gordon's quick thinking before and during the attack.

"She did exactly what she was supposed to do by getting those dogs under control," Whetten said.

As Gordon sat at home Thursday recovering from her injury and worrying about Peatree, she also expressed concern over the many children who wait for the school bus every morning near the attack site and walk home every afternoon, as well as the many people who take regular walks in the area.

"So many people out in this area walk," said Gordon, who has no children. "I think people need to know that this happens."

Whetten said attacks can be reduced and eventually prevented if residents stopped feeding javelinas.

"If we can get people to stop feeding, we can stop having large herds in the metropolitan area," Whetten said.

Whetten said the chances of locating the exact herd that attacked Gordon and her dogs is "a virtual impossibility," but Game and Fish officers will inform residents of the area of the attack.

Gordon said it will be a long time before she'll be able to find the courage to take the dogs for a walk, even for only a few minutes.

"I'm used to being around a lot of wildlife in the area," she said. "Now, not knowing what their behavior's going to be, it'll probably be a while before I go walking."

• Be sure there is no wildlife-feeding going on in your neighborhood.

• Harass the animal or spray it with a hose.

• Shake an aluminum can, such as a soda can, with pebbles or nuts and bolts in it.

• Repel the animal by putting pepper or hot sauce on specific plants and ammonia in bowls where they bed down.

• Remove any ground cover that the javelina may be using as shelter.

• Keep them away by using fencing or electric fencing. Check local ordinances first if you choose to do this.