HELOTES, Texas – A Helotes dog owner is warning neighbors to stay alert after his dog came home with unexplained injuries.
Aaron Pumphrey said his dog, Rocco, is an “escape artist” who sometimes slips away and wanders into the woods near their northwest Bexar County home.
A few weeks ago, after one of those adventures, Pumphrey said Rocco returned with what looked like a black eye, a dirty face and several deep scratches.
“He looks like he has a black eye. Like, this whole side of his head was just filthy dirty,” Pumphrey said. “You see the scratches and whatnot … and it looked like he got hit by a car.”
Pumphrey posted photos of the injuries on social media, including an image showing three deep scratches. Some neighbors suggested it could have been a wild cat.
“It was something big,” Pumphrey said.
Because no one witnessed what happened, there’s no way to confirm exactly what injured Rocco. Pumphrey said Rocco has since recovered and is now staying on a leash.
To better understand what may have happened, KSAT showed the photos to the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD). Joseph Plappert, TPWD’s urban biologist in Bexar County, said he doesn’t want people to be alarmed.
“It’s really hard to tell without more information — just going off one photo alone,” Plappert said.
Plappert also emphasized that residents share space with wildlife across the county, not just in rural areas. Security camera footage from the neighborhood near where Rocco lives has shown javelinas, a porcupine and a bobcat.
“It’s important to remember that we share these spaces with wildlife,” Plappert said. “The best way to keep yourself or your pets, your children and the wildlife … safe is to keep a healthy distance.”
TPWD recommends a few common-sense steps to reduce the chances of wildlife conflicts:
- Keep pets indoors or supervised, especially at dusk and overnight
- Don’t feed wildlife
- Secure trash cans and outdoor pet food
- If an animal becomes a recurring nuisance, call a pest control or wildlife professional
Plappert said serious wildlife encounters are rare, but as more people move into the Hill Country and other rural areas, development can push wildlife into new spaces and make sightings more common.
In October 2024, Bexar County issued an alert of a large cat sighting, but deputies were unable to locate the animal.