Cancer-stricken child to get Utah horse to replace one killed

PAMPA, Texas — A boy stricken with brain cancer could soon have a miniature horse to replace the one killed by a pair of pit bulls, a Make-A-Wish Foundation official said.

The 34-inch-tall, 250-pound Appaloosa probably will arrive from Utah early next week, said Jelaine Workman, the foundation chapter's executive director.

Workman said she wasn't certain whether Christian Vasquez, 3, had been told of the new horse.

Calls and e-mails deluged the office after word of the attack spread, she said. Discussions began Wednesday with a breeder in Utah.

The foundation gave Christian his first horse, Anniversary, in late August, seven months after the boy was diagnosed with a malignant form of brain cancer.

The horse was found dead Monday by Christian's father on the family's property. Raul Vasquez was nearly attacked by the dogs but managed to climb a tree and call 911 on his cell phone.

Both dogs were euthanized Wednesday, Gray County Sheriff Don Copeland said Thursday. The owner of the dog that escaped brought it to the Pampa animal pound, he said.