Hawk

[Bellabean]

OMG!!! Standing in my backyard with my Bella and a HUGE hawk swooped right down at her! Scared me to death!

[pink66]

I worry so much about my baby being carried off by a hawk, I couldn't bear it! Whenever Puff is outside, even in our fenced backyard, she is wearing her harness and 15 ft lead. Since we have had her my perspective has changed quite a bit. There are dangers everywhere when you only weigh 6 pounds!
I'm glad you were able to keep your baby safe!

[Magnus]

Wasn't there a member here that almost had their furbutt get taken by a hawk or something? I think she managed to hit the bird with a rock and it let go of the pup.. If I remember correctly, the pup had some cuts and what not from the claws but was ok otherwise.

There's a bird sanctuary in this neighborhood somewhere so I see different type of big birds often. I think Zoey might sense something b/c sometimes. She'll run right back in and when I look up to see if there's anything there, surprise surprise... A buzzard looking thing is perched on one of my next door's roof looking down. Sort of creeps me out.

I'm glad your baby wasn't hurt. I bet you'll be keep a closer eye now...

[yorkiemini]

Don't under-estimate those hawks! Some of you know Cali's story and how I came so close to losing her when the hawk got her. She is only 3 lbs 14 ounces but I was told by the Field and Wildlife folks that they can carry off an adult rabbit.

Then there is the of the huge fine$$$ and even jail time if you kill one because they are protected by the international migratory laws.

[Bellabean]

Wow. I was standing right next to he. I'll have to tell my dh about the law because he is planning I shoot the hawk.

[MandiesMom]

Hawks are beautiful but only when they aren't scoping out my baby. Owls are a greater threat (we have both in my yard). At least you can watch for hawks...owls are at night and silent.

Don't live in fear...live smart. Always be outside and vigilant with your littles. I put up some holographic tape strips all around my yard. I have noticed less hawks but the owls ignore it. At night, I am always looking at the power lines and fence tops...they like those spots. I am the crazy neighbor lady that makes loud noisrs while out at night. I've been known to carry a pop up umbrella for defense if needed. And i used to make Mandie wear an orange vest every single time she went out...that was breaking her hair though so i stopped.

[Bellabean]

We have an owl too. He was sitting on the garage once scoping out my chihuahua

[Magnus]

Originally Posted by MandiesMom

Hawks are beautiful but only when they aren't scoping out my baby. Owls are a greater threat (we have both in my yard). At least you can watch for hawks...owls are at night and silent.

Don't live in fear...live smart. Always be outside and vigilant with your littles. I put up some holographic tape strips all around my yard. I have noticed less hawks but the owls ignore it. At night, I am always looking at the power lines and fence tops...they like those spots. I am the crazy neighbor lady that makes loud noisrs while out at night. I've been known to carry a pop up umbrella for defense if needed. And i used to make Mandie wear an orange vest every single time she went out...that was breaking her hair though so i stopped.

I hear owls often. Again.. bird sanctuary. What do you think about one of those motion sensor water sprinkler? I saw it on some show where the guy used it to keep unwanted animals from coming into the back yard.

Is the orange vest for visual awareness? If so, have you thought about putting reflective ribbons on her harness? If she wears one for walks. That's what I did for Magnus/Zoey.

[MomtoJasper]

Originally Posted by MandiesMom

Hawks are beautiful but only when they aren't scoping out my baby. Owls are a greater threat (we have both in my yard). At least you can watch for hawks...owls are at night and silent.

Don't live in fear...live smart. Always be outside and vigilant with your littles. I put up some holographic tape strips all around my yard. I have noticed less hawks but the owls ignore it. At night, I am always looking at the power lines and fence tops...they like those spots. I am the crazy neighbor lady that makes loud noisrs while out at night. I've been known to carry a pop up umbrella for defense if needed. And i used to make Mandie wear an orange vest every single time she went out...that was breaking her hair though so i stopped.

We have hawks and owls in our woods. But I never thought about an owl taking Jasper!!! Glad I read this thread!!! Dangers just lurk everywhere for these small babies, don't they?

[kjc]

Glad she wasn't hurt... make her look less like a rabbit ie: dress or halter, anything reflective is good.

[kjc]

Very important: DO NOT assume that because she is on-leash and you are right there with her that the hawk will not take her. They will.

Their method of killing is to fly up with their prey then drop them from a height. Depending on how the prey lands, it may or may not survive the fall.

Hawks and owls have razor sharp claws, which will do more initial damage than the beak.

If you have a small yard, you can install a grid of fishing line to cover your yard, in 2 ft increments. The fishing line will reflect light (which will deter the predator) and the grid should physically stop the approach.

[Bellabean]

I think I'll keep her halter on her, and on my chihuahua

[MandiesMom]

I was told by some bird experts that birds can see color and orange stands out. So, I inverted a pumpkin/costume/vest and wrote Mandie's name on it in shiny glitter glue and I glued a couple of the reflective strips to it. You can see pics of it in another thread. Here is the link to that post with my pics:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/4157407-post36.html

Now, I did a lot of research and we have a Raptor Center here at Auburn University. I watched some videos and I learned that a raptor bird can NOT pick up anything over 1/2 it's own weight. Hawks weigh around 3 to 4 lbs and Owls weigh 5 or 6 lbs.

With that said, they will do what they need to do when hungry and desparate. They will slam their talons (sharp and deadly all by themselves) into the back/spine of a prey they have targeted. They may even TRY to pick it up and get a little off the ground before dropping it if it's too heavy.

Technically, they don't drop the prey on purpose to kill it. They are trying to take off with it but it's too heavy and they can't. However, the force of slamming into a small animal's spine is deadly in and of itself. It can break the back. The talons are long and sharp and puncture the body...wounding the prey badly or killing it if punctured in the right spot. Finally, trying to fly off but dropping it to the ground can finish everything off.

So, while a hawk or even an owl can't physically fly off with my 6 1/2 lb Yorkie (or even my 4 lb Yorkie when she was younger), they can and will if hungry enough kill my Yorkie. All it takes is the above mentioned. Then, they just eat where the prey falls if they are allowed to do so.

Bottom line, in desperation, any wild animal is dangerous and we should always be vigilant. Living scared (which I did for a few months) is useless and not good for the dog who loves to be outside. But you can live smart.

As for reflective strips on the harness, I really don't take Mandie for walks. We have such a large yard, I just let her run with her brother out there. BUT, thought I'd end on a slightly humerous note: My mother suggested (when I was trying to come up with the right thing to deter the birds) the following:

Couldn't you just get several helium balloons and tie them to her harness?

[Lap Princess]

Originally Posted by MandiesMom

I was told by some bird experts that birds can see color and orange stands out. So, I inverted a pumpkin/costume/vest and wrote Mandie's name on it in shiny glitter glue and I glued a couple of the reflective strips to it. You can see pics of it in another thread. Here is the link to that post with my pics:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/4157407-post36.html

Now, I did a lot of research and we have a Raptor Center here at Auburn University. I watched some videos and I learned that a raptor bird can NOT pick up anything over 1/2 it's own weight. Hawks weigh around 3 to 4 lbs and Owls weigh 5 or 6 lbs.

With that said, they will do what they need to do when hungry and desparate. They will slam their talons (sharp and deadly all by themselves) into the back/spine of a prey they have targeted. They may even TRY to pick it up and get a little off the ground before dropping it if it's too heavy.

Technically, they don't drop the prey on purpose to kill it. They are trying to take off with it but it's too heavy and they can't. However, the force of slamming into a small animal's spine is deadly in and of itself. It can break the back. The talons are long and sharp and puncture the body...wounding the prey badly or killing it if punctured in the right spot. Finally, trying to fly off but dropping it to the ground can finish everything off.

So, while a hawk or even an owl can't physically fly off with my 6 1/2 lb Yorkie (or even my 4 lb Yorkie when she was younger), they can and will if hungry enough kill my Yorkie. All it takes is the above mentioned. Then, they just eat where the prey falls if they are allowed to do so.

Bottom line, in desperation, any wild animal is dangerous and we should always be vigilant. Living scared (which I did for a few months) is useless and not good for the dog who loves to be outside. But you can live smart.

As for reflective strips on the harness, I really don't take Mandie for walks. We have such a large yard, I just let her run with her brother out there. BUT, thought I'd end on a slightly humerous note: My mother suggested (when I was trying to come up with the right thing to deter the birds) the following:

Couldn't you just get several helium balloons and tie them to her harness?

You've got your facts right!! Oh, and raptors can see not only color, but into the ultraviolet range. This allows them to spot the urine trails of rodents for easy prey.

[yorkiemini]

The goal of any hawk is DINNER! And a lot of their feeding behavior is reflected in how hungry and desperate the are to eat.

The one that attacked Cali literally pounced on her to get his/her talon in. Can't say if he was planning to eat her then or going to carry her off - turns out she was too fast or the hawk miscalculated. They hawk weighed in at just under 5.5 pounds and was a rather common breed.

When Cali got ahold of it's neck right under the beak and started trying to shake her I will tell you that hawk fought like hell - it was a real battle for a little dog. Hawks are very athletic. The expert in my area brought out that we (people) are encroaching on their hunting areas and their behavior have changed accordingly.

I say don't underestimate them because if they perceive an opportunity they can do real damage with those talons. A lot of what they told me was because their talons and beaks harbor some really nasty germs that would cause terrible infections even if the prey weren't killed.

Wish I knew how to post the pictures of those talons, They are very impressive.