Danger from hawks & owls?
 

This has always been worrisome to me, and it is one reason why I have no problem having the larger Yorkies, but I still wonder, just how large of an animal is a hawk or owl capable of picking up? I guess it depends on the size of the bird, but I know I read somewhere that they have been known to pick up dogs up to 10 lbs. Thats just hard to imagine! Willie weighs 20 lbs, lol, so I'm not too worried he would be potential prey, but Chloe is about 9 lbs, so I hate to even let her out this afternoon, since I noticed a Coopers Hawk perched up on my patio screen today, I think it was scoping out the little sparrows out there at the time. These things always start showing up as the weather gets cooler, for whatever reason, it draws them back into the city limits. They always seem to be around on cold or overcast days.

This also brings to mind another danger to those of us living in town, and like me, have wrongly assumed our pets are safe from wild animals. I know a family a few miles from me who had their pet Boxer torn up badly by a bobcat! Thankfully it survived, but it is a pretty large dog! The animal control said that they have had several reports of this happening. The bobcats hide in the trees and attack unsuspecting pets.



~Deb, Willie, Chloe~

My sister has a yorkie poo that is around 12-15 pounds and we are constantly worrying about the hawks. We have them in the backyard. Its stressful but I would say anywhere under 15 pounds watch out.

I read that they can pick up a rabbit up to 12 lbs or more. A ranger in a state park said with a dog that would be more likely to yelp, swiggle or bark under 10 lbs is more likely but it would depend on the dog. The sad thing is they may try with a dog as large as 15 lbs and then drop them due to weight so the dog to be killed that way.

This scares me as well! We have rabbits in our yard and the other day my husband and I seen a hawk fly by pretty low. We think it was stalking those, but worries me bc we are constantly out with Caylee. They are so stealth like! Eek!

You have to watch for coyotes also. I live downtown and My Husband saw one 5 mins away

i heard no matter the weight of dog the hawk will come down
and try to pick it up and dig its claws into it.. they will kill our babies that way. ive heard their wing span is like 4 to 6 feet long, maybe wider

OMG, that all scares me to death! I'm not letting Chloe out unless I'm right there beside her! I wish she didn't enjoy being outside so much. Willie doesn't really care to be out alot, but Chloe loves being in the back yard exploring and also goes to the far end of the yard and lies down to wait for the neighbors Schnauzer to come out. I have always checked on her often, but now I think we won't be doing that alone!

~Deb, Willie, Chloe~

me too!
 

I worry so much about that... we had pigeons (sp.) and a hawk was chasing them... they did go missing ... all of them. one after one sadly.

I kinda figured what happened to them,

I'm scared for my babies, i always go out with them and i never take them off leash, feebie weighs 5 pounds and she's be a nice lunch time snack to them!:eek:

I worry about this all of the time! I don't let Daisy out unless she is on her leash for a walk. My husband makes fun of me b/c I am so protective, but she is only 3.5 lbs. and she could be picked up in a second!! We have to watch out b/c they are so tiny!!

There are some huge crows here that worry me just as much..I hate those devil birds!!

My DH is always worried when take Cassi for a walk outside and it starts getting dark. So far, I haven't seen any huge birds around my area. The funny thing is everytime I hear a slight rustle in the tree, I would immediately pull Cassi close to me until I'm sure that it's safe.

I also worry becuase I have owls and hawks in my yard all year long and I have 3 to chase after. 3, 4, & 5lbs. Thank God when it gets dark they stay close to the back door, do their business and right in we go. I also follow them with a flashlight because as you know they blend in with the night. And I always tell them when I let them out to watch out for the owls = I think they understand and that is why they stay so close to me.:)

gosh it must be a constant worry for some of you!:(
I'm in the UK and have so far never heard of a Hawk of any kind taking a dog here...I walk Pixie across farmland near my home and there are large Buzzards around..they don't tend to get too close to be honest so I don't think they would be a threat..it wouldn't be hard for one to carry my Pixie away though with her being a tiny 3lb'er!:eek:

We are been hearing the coyotes lately and they are VERY close. My husband told me not to let them out at night or early in the morning because of this. We live in a very populated area~not out in the country and they are everywhere! Please be very careful, they are very sneaky and will literally trick your pets no matter what size (yorkie, lab, germany shepard) into traps and then attack as a pack.

Recently, a neighbor said that their 100lb lab was lured by a coyote to play. When the dog got a little away from the house a pack attacked and killed it! :eek:

Also, hawks and crows both will swoop down and carry off a small dog. When I was in HS my best friend's yorkie was picked up by a hawk and carried off! It happened with her standing right next to it, the hawk was that daring and bold! She was tramatized for years after. It was very heartbreaking. All she could do was watch as the hawk carried her baby away!:(

OMG I didn\'t know there was Coyotes that far East? I thought that they were just out here. I can tell you first hand they are vicious. I have been chased and had my husband hit it with a broom. It didn\'t want to hurt him just me for some reason. And I can tell you a few years back when a lady was taking out her trash in the AM, a coyote came up and took her newborn baby never to be seen again :(