Protecting his pack: Española shelter dog defends family from home invasion, suffers severe injuries

Alaina Mencinger, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·3 min read
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Jun. 14—Every year, thousands of animals come through Española Humane.

Some have socks, other spots. Some may even have masks.

But any one of them could become a hero.

Pancho, a speckled rescue dog, was adopted from the shelter about eight years ago. Earlier this month, the pup defended his family from a intruder, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office online incident report, sustaining several injuries, including a stab wound. The suspect, a juvenile, was arrested for trespassing and extreme animal cruelty, said a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

Tom Parker, director of medicine at the Española Humane Clinic, said Pancho came in with a deep gash on his neck and back injuries from the struggle, wobbly and shaky from blood loss.

His jugular vein had been cut and Pancho needed to be stitched up. While in surgery, Pancho's heart stopped, but he was revived through CPR.

But a week later, Pancho is recovering well.

"This dog is a survivor," Parker said. "His neck wound is going to take a couple weeks to heal, but he shows every sign of coming out of it."

And the dog is a model patient.

"He's got a good attitude. Even in the midst of it all, he'd wag his tail and look at you like, 'Thanks for helping me,'" Parker said.

Mattie Allen, director of communications for Española Humane, said Pancho's tail never stopped wagging. His tail started thumping every time he heard the words "good boy."

"He was on death's doorstep, but never stopped wagging his tail," Allen said.

The attack happened the night of June 4 in the Santa Cruz area.

"What we understand is an intruder broke in. He recognized that this person was dangerous and an intruder and started to protect his family," Allen said.

Although Pancho was getting kicked by the intruder, he continued to defend his family.

Unable to find vet care in Española — none of the clinics in the city are 24/7 Parker said — the family drove to Albuquerque in search of care. Unsuccessful in Albuquerque, Pancho's family returned to Española and brought the pup to the clinic first thing in the morning. By opening time, there were already 30 to 40 pets scheduled for surgery, Parker said.

New Mexico struggles to attract veterinarians, especially in rural areas, said Parker, who noted that the closest 24/7 clinic is in Algodones. A lack of accessibility to vet care brings a lot of people to Española Humane.

"We're not really a full-service clinic, but a lot of people end up on our doorstep because they can't find a place to go," Parker said. "Part of the story is that they had to struggle to find help for this dog. ... The barriers to care in vet medicine these days in New Mexico are a problem."

Allen said Pancho has become a favorite among the staff.

"We all just felt so invested in saving this dog, who put his life on the line for his family," Allen said. "We all feel like dogs save us every day, in small ways, and he just saved his whole family in a really big way."