Unknown animal takes over Ballard yard

SeattleTree writes in the forum about some strange animal that’s tunneling around and chewing up their yard:

“Good Grief, it’s like Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom around here on 9th & 63rdish. First the 6 raccoons tearing apart things, and coming TOWARDS me even though I had a garden hose on the group of 3 at 10am in my garden. Now there is a chihuahua sized dark brownish, black faced (kinda) no tail square butt thing, literally chopping apart my neighbor’s roddies next to the fence we watched at 11am a couple of days ago.

It comes out during the day, chews quickly through smallish branches with leaves and drags a 2 foot long section back along the house. It will scurry away when approached but I ain’t getting too close to something with a chainsaw for a mouth. What now? I thought of a Nutria but don’t they need water? Neighbor though a Beaver, but again, needs water? What else can this big, a mutant Ginea pig? They found a big tunnel under the house and blocked it off days before, obviously the creature is rebuilding his bunker. Anyone out there have any idea?”