Jerry and Gladys Lujan
As Foreign Service Officers we spent many years living in exotic places like Algeria, Bangladesh, Haiti, Nigeria, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Our dwellings were always well protected by security grillwork on the doors and windows. It was restrictive but necessary where personal security was at risk. When we returned to the U.S we lived in Fairfax, Virginia, where we felt security grillwork wasn’t necessary. When we moved to SaddleBrooke more than 16 years ago we didn’t feel grillwork was necessary here either.
That changed the night of October 13 when our home was invaded by a Javelina! We were in deep sleep when Gladys was awakened by a loud bang! She jumped up in bed in time to see a fully grown Javelina run past the foot of our bed into the rest of the house. She roused me and pointed to the torn slider screen (for the past 16 years during the cooler months the slider in the bedroom is kept open for the cool breezes) and it was obvious something had torn it. Over the years our back yard has been visited by deer, coyotes, a bobcat, Javelinas and even a Gila Monster with nothing like this ever happening
We could hear banging and crashing coming from other parts of the house. I closed the bedroom door and dialed 911 and told the operator there was a Javelina in the house. We said we were safe and she said she would send a deputy sheriff. We asked her to call the fire department, but she insisted that the deputy would be able to handle it.
I then went outside to wait for the deputy and lead him around the house to the bedroom. Note: the house keys and cell phone and number for the SaddleBrooke Patrol were in the part of the house the Javelina claimed as his own so the only way in was where the Javelina entered.
After about thirty minutes two sheriff’s deputies arrived in two patrol cars. When one drove up he noticed five javelinas across the street – waiting for their companion?
One deputy carried a very long protective shield as they entered the house. After about thirty minutes they called the Golder Ranch Fire Department for assistance. By this time the Javelina expanded his territory through the whole house, including the upstairs bedrooms.
It took five firefighters, two deputies and a SaddleBrooke patrolman to finally chase the little critter out of the house into the street where he presumably joined the rest of his clan.
Other than leaving his mark here and there, not much damage was done. Lots of things were knocked down, a lampshade was broken and the screen door where he entered had to be repaired.
We are very grateful to the two courageous Pinal County deputies for their unstinting valiant efforts, to the Golder Ranch Fire Department firefighters and to the SaddleBrooke Patrol for their reinforcements.
Lessons learned: Keep a phone and a SaddleBrooke Source Book™, a flashlight and a spare set of keys in the bedroom at all times and grillwork over your screen door when you open your sliders.