Dog Community

Posted : 9/7/2006 12:37:23 PM

I am so glad you asked that question. My DH thinks i'm insane but 2 of our dogs are under 10 lbs, and i have seen hawks in our area, and i will not let them go out alone. DH thinks i'm overreacting, so now at least i feel validated in my fears. Particularly because the smallest, at 6 lbs, only has 3 legs and i feel that makes her even more of a target.

Cindy Camery

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:42:40 AM

I live in a small residential area in Illinois. I've never thought about the possibility of birds of prey and my poodles. Several weks ago when taking my dogs out in the middle of the night I heard an owl! It freaked me out. With their keen night vision and speed I could imagine my 4lb. puppy being snatched up. I make sure she is on a leash even at 3:00a.m.

Tony Tall

Posted : 9/8/2006 2:25:06 PM

i was walking with my puppy and saw some hawks fly over and i got a little scared they might attack her. I also heard the one squawk and i didnt know if that was some sort of sign to the other hawk that they would attack, because i know that they like to hunt in teams or something

Tony Tall

Posted : 9/8/2006 2:32:20 PM

ORIGINAL: Tashmoo5454

I am so glad you asked that question. My DH thinks i'm insane but 2 of our dogs are under 10 lbs, and i have seen hawks in our area, and i will not let them go out alone. DH thinks i'm overreacting, so now at least i feel validated in my fears. Particularly because the smallest, at 6 lbs, only has 3 legs and i feel that makes her even more of a target.

What is a DH?

Tony Tall

Posted : 9/8/2006 2:33:06 PM

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

I saw awesome wildlife footage once of a raptor taking a kid (goat) off the side of a mountain. It swooped in, grabbed the kid by the head and dropped like a stone out of the frame, and then like bionic slow motion surged up from the bottom of the frame still carrying that kid. It was amazing - saw it years ago and it still just blows my mind purely from memory.

So I think there are birds big enough to carry off a small dog or cat.

Paula

Do you know how many pounds it was

Tony Tall

Posted : 9/8/2006 2:34:02 PM

if u have 2 dogs and a hawk attacks one dog that is to heavy to carry away with the other dog help the dog that is being attacked?

Tony Tall

Posted : 9/8/2006 2:35:15 PM

I saw a video on AFV that showed a hawk take a pet mouse from between two people so i dont think hawks are that scared of people if they are hunting

Ed Klein

Posted : 9/8/2006 2:54:26 PM

A hawk can and will carry away your small dog. Buzzards will kill them too although very seldom. If your dog is a little too big to be carried away there's always a chance, if no one is there to scare it off, that it'll kill and start eating the small dog right there. Wild animals are opportunists and won't risk getting hurt for a meal if possible. Any minor injury could cost a wild animal it's life.

As for the other dog helping it...depends on the courage and bond of the two dogs. It wouold creep me out if it happened, can't imagine how a small dog would feel.

Also watch out for coyotes if you live in a rural area.

Ileanna Parks

Posted : 9/8/2006 3:54:49 PM

Oh yes, I specifically asked this of my poms breeder, and she confirmed that hawks have carried off cats. In fact, we refer to my darling, love-of-my-life Ginger as Hawk bait all the time.

My husband has been outside looking up and gradually sees the hawks spirally down towards him and then realizes Ginger is out. She never goes out if the other dogs aren't with her, 4 more and two larger, or a person supervises. Better safe than sorry.

kelly_c

Posted : 9/8/2006 8:16:07 PM

Keep your pets out of their way, but you are NOT allowed to harm the birds.

Since a friend of mine told me a story about a Halk that swooped down and carried away their large cat, I keep an eye on my dogs when their in the back yard. I have to say though that if a bird tried to swoop in and take my dogs that would be one DEAD BIRD!

whatsh0uldmyl0ginbe?

Posted : 9/8/2006 9:47:27 PM

I'm a *little* worried about birds of preys. Not so much because I live in the city and all I've EVER seen were pygmy owls. It was quite a sight watching a pigmy owl trying to pick up Maisie by the harness and Maisie wanted to play one night..

P.S. no he didn't touch or hurt her...

kelly_c

Posted : 9/8/2006 10:26:16 PM

Why does it seem like I'm the only one who can't figure out how to get a cute picture of my dogs in my profile? Every time I try, it tells me my screen name has been taken like I'm trying to change it. Someone said to email Jamie, how do I do that?

bamaeskie

Posted : 9/9/2006 4:28:52 AM

When my in-laws got their puppy (dachshund) from a breeder, they were told to be careful of the birds of prey. The breeder said that one of her puppies was carried off by a large bird. That would be horrible.

When Dakota was a puppy, I stayed by his side when he was outside. Large birds have swooped right over my head before when they were in pursuit of other birds, so I wasn't taking any chances.

glenmar

Posted : 9/9/2006 7:03:58 AM

When I lived in TOWN, smack dab in the middle of the historic district, I watched a hawk swoop down and snag a rabbit out of my backyard. Up to that point I'd never given birds of prey a thot, but, from that point on, none of my foster pups went outside alone.

Elizabeth Onsurez

Posted : 9/9/2006 11:27:21 AM

I used to have a white male Canary, he sang so pretty, well My now X was going to clean his cage for me, he got loose and flew away.the next day or so I was walking in my backyard and there was my canary, I think he reconized my voice, well right before my very eyes this sparrow hawk snagged him from mid -air , I couldnt believe what I had just saw, all that was left were the few feathers that fell to the ground. I felt horrible, still do, this happens 18 yrs ago.

Do Hawks eat small puppies?