THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED HERE:
Most West Meadowbrook residents were probably shocked to hear a gunshot last Sunday afternoon. The bullet was fired by Pedro Juarez, husband of Fort Worth school district board candidate Pilar Candia. The target was an Irish wolfhound.
Juarez told us the animal was only grazed. But while waiting for confirmation from Fort Worth Animal Care and Control, we asked Juarez just what the heck happened. In a phone interview, he said he was canvassing voters with his wife and their two daughters, 9 and 6, when they were approached by two “large” dogs.
“We were wrapping up our walking list when I saw a big black dog,” he said.
The wolfhound, he continued, was unleashed and accompanied by another large unleashed canine. Both animals, he continued, were barking and aggressive.
“I saw them charging at us at full force,” he said. “I had to protect my family. I didn’t mean to cause any harm. My girls were bawling. It was a scary situation.”
The dogs backed off, Juarez said, allowing him and his family to retreat to their car one block away and call Fort Worth police.
Marc Povero, Fort Worth police public information officer, confirmed the incident occurred but provided few details. We filed an open records request for more information.
We also tried to reach the dog’s owner but have not been able to yet.
As clear as Jaurez’ story is, though, some neighbors are raising concerns on social media. On West Meadowbrook’s Nextdoor page, one mother said her son witnessed the entire event. “The dog didn’t charge anybody,” he said.
Juarez maintains that he was protecting his family. He said he carries a firearm because his job as a Realtor often requires him to enter abandoned homes.
“I have all my [gun-related] documentation in order,” he said.
Povero said he is unaware of any pending charges against Juarez.
In an emailed statement, Candia said she is grateful that her children are safe thanks to her husband, Fort Worth police, and animal control.
“I am also happy the dog is alive and under medical care,” she said. “In this season with so many campaign volunteers walking door to door, I encourage everyone to be continually aware of your surroundings and the risks.”
Correction
Photos from another story were improperly used to illustrate last week’s cover story (“Trump Card,” Apr 26). After we recognized the mistake, we switched out the erroneous photos with the right ones online. We regret the error.
Maybe you should talk to the witnesses and get the whole story. There was no barking and the second dog didn’t show up until after the weapon was discharged.
Utter Fabrications. I don’t know just how hard you’re trying to contact the owner but here I am. Contact me if you want the truth to this nonsense.
I hope your dog is OK
I want to know if the family has offered to pay any medical expenses for your dog. I saw the damage done. He wasn’t just grazed.
No one should be able to shoot a dog on it’s own property, so that’s something important to the story. I hope to hear followup.
As an avid dog lover and someone who knows Pedro, Pilar, their young daughters, and have had first hand experiences of being confronted by unleashed large dogs, I applaud and salute the commitment and the heroism of this family.
The dog is a senior dog, not a wolfhound. Its part lab and they would only lick you to death. Sounds like this guy Pedro just got scared and overreacted. He must have pets or he would know how to handle himself better. Poor dog. and it seems odd that Pilar felt the need to use her influence and call the police chief to have him speak to the officers when they arrived on the scene. What are they trying to hide?? If this is an example of the decision making by this candidate, she lost my vote
There sure seems to be a lot of conflicting comments here. How about a little journalism? Election day is tomorrow and if a candidate did call in favors to cover this up or shade the truth, I think it would be relevant to the election. How hard is it to call the owner and get a picture of the dog? Maybe talk to a witness? I don’t know who is telling the truth, but I want to know!
Sorry, I just saw the follow up story. All of my questions were answered. Good job FW Weekly.
Egg on my face.
Larry