PHOENIX — A woman and her dog are still recovering after being attacked at their North Phoenix apartment complex.
It happened near North Valley Parkway, near the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, where javelinas roam.
That woman is now thanking the heroes she says saved their lives.
Chancee has another chance at life after a heroic rescue in North Phoenix.
"They are my heroes and that’s the story that should be told. Chancee would be dead, and I don’t know what would’ve happened to me, and that’s the honest to God truth. That scared me," says Wendy Van Etten, dog owner.
Wendy Van Etten says they were out for their daily early morning walk at Marquis at Sonoran Preserve.
Javelina often come up from the wash that runs through the property, to roam around but his time - they attacked.
"Jumped on Chancee‘s back end and was like biting at him. Then the other two came from the side and that’s when I tripped over Chancee‘s leash and then, all of a sudden, I started to get myself up but all I could worry about was Chancee. So, I was calling him and calling him and trying to fight these things off," says Van Etten.
That's when two men, living at the property, happened to come outside at the same time and jumped in to help.
"They started stomping and yelling. So, as soon as they did that, the javelina let loose and that thing took off like a bat," says
Chancee has undergone surgery and is left with a badly injured tail, which may need to be removed, among other bite marks.
"The reason he has 28 stitches inside, that tooth dug into his tail while he gripped it. That’s why it was so deep and the tail already was almost cut off. So, I mean, Chancee's gone through a lot," says Van Etten.
Wendy says the attack was traumatizing for her and her 12-year-old corgi mix. She says she doesn't want all the javelina removed from their natural habitat, just the one that was extremely vicious. More than ever, she is being cautious and warning others to be too.
"Chancee is going to make it through; I’m going to make it through but, the worst thing that could happen is that this is not improved, not something done about it... because the next time I really, really fear that that could be a child ," says Van Etten.
The woman is hoping the apartment complex might be able to add additional lighting, that way the javelina can be better seen at dawn and dusk.
