Iggy

Tri-City Tales Issue No. 23

This June, a resident of Hageman Street in Cedar Hill walked into their back yard, looked up and saw a lizard. To their astonishment, it was bright orange. And five feet long. An iguana. They called the fire department because – who else do you call to get a giant reptile out of a tree?

Firefighters brought their ladders, de-treed the iguana and took him to Tri-City Animal Shelter. Lacking other options, shelter staff turned a spare bathroom into a makeshift herpetarium. He was a friendly older gentleman who allowed staff members to handle him without objection, and appeared well fed. Someone’s pet for sure.

Heath Boyd of Corsicana got a call from a family member the day the wayward iguana came in. His brother-in-law is a firefighter who helped with the rescue, and knew Heath’s lifelong love of reptiles. He has a collection of snakes and other animals that he’s built special enclosures for. “They are underestimated animals,” Heath says. He likes to take his pets to children’s groups and other gatherings to educate people about reptiles, and dispel the “only good snake is a dead snake” way of thinking. 

At first, Heath thought that the animal’s owner would for sure claim him. But a day passed, and then another, with no one reporting a missing iguana. The shelter has a policy of holding animals for 72 hours before releasing them for adoption. Heath called back immediately after the deadline had passed. He drove to the shelter, named his new pal Iggy, and took him home.

Iggy now lives in a custom-built cage. He eats lettuce and carrots, and lets Heath take him out and hold him. “He’s very laid back,” Heath says. He plans to take Iggy when he brings his animals out to show the public. “Everyone thinks reptiles are creepy and out to get you,” he says. But he hopes more people will see them not as icky, but Iggy.