I have about an acre fenced and live in Florida too. We have a lot of hawks and those ugly turkey vultures in this area. I have even seen an eagle here, although only once. I know the predators are out there but I still let mine run outside as long as I am with them. Since I have several dogs to run together, I think that helps. But when they were each puppies, I kept them very close. Hawks usually circle for awhile, so you watch the sky closely and just scoop up the little ones and get them inside when you spot one overhead. Wind socks, twirly flowers, outdoor mobiles, and tickling wind chimes all help ward off flying pests. I have some of those long corkscrew type decorations that spin in the wind and several wind chimes (one is a yorkie one!) hanging from my eaves on the back porch.

If you do see a hawk, make a lot of noise. Bang on things, holler, some even shoot off a gun (not to hit the hawk though!). This will sometimes keep them from coming back. Mirrors on the roof can be a deterrent --I have been meaning to buy a bunch of small mirrors to do this, just have not got around to it. Scarecrows may help as well. Make sure not to have a bird feeder around -- it attracts the smaller birds that hawks prey on which brings them as well. We did reluctantly take down our feeders.

I am determined to let mine have some natural enjoyment outside. That is the whole reason we fenced part of our property for them. But I do worry and keep on the alert. I also am watching for snakes, fire ants, cow killer ants, wasps and other stinging things, and any other danger while they are out. Today I found another peril to watch for -- armadillo holes! Suddenly there is a huge hole in my yard! If one of the dogs fell in while running across the yard, they would have broken a leg or worse! It's always something! But the joys of living in the country still make it worth while!

Seems we have to be careful of spiders to :( Got a call tonight and our grandaughters chi was bitten by a spider today. He is very swollen right now. The vet said to give him benadryl and watch him.:( He is a real beauty and such a sweet smart little guy. Please pray for him all. Here is a picture of him.

Sending up a prayer for your granddaughter's chi -- what a beauty he is! Or should I say handsome boy! He really is a sharp looking little guy, sort of a smokey color. That would be a good name for him.

Thank you so much. He is what they call a blue. I got a little worried when I joined YT and read about blue borns but they say he is not that. Just called a Blue lol.His name is Samson.

I have lots of predatory birds around here, too. I wrote to the raptor center here to ask for ideas of what I could do to help keep them away.
Of course, always being out with them is #1.
He also said this... kind of the same thing as someone else here said,

"You could put some things in your back yard to scare raptors away (things that make noise, move, or flash). Some ideas could be a wind sock, wind chimes, pin wheels, or motion censored lighting. Things that make noise, give off flashes of light or perceived movement are scary to raptors."

I'm thinking my yard could begin to look really odd full of things to scare owls, eagles and hawks... LOL. I am not one for lawn ornaments so I will have to check around for some that are not too obnoxious. :rolleyes:

I am constantly alert when I have my girls outside. Yesterday I saw a huge marmot (woodchuck) running around. They can weigh from 7-15 lbs!!!!!! Yikes. I don't think they would bother dogs, but I'm afraid one of the girls will chase after it if they see it.

Gosh, wouldn't it be nice to go outside with our little ones and RELAX instead of having to be so hypervigilant????:cool::animal-pa

I would never ever let Onni off her leash outside. She is so small that it would be over if a hawk swooped down. :eek::eek: We defiantly have them in our area and I would be devastated if something happened to her.

It is best to err on the side of caution. Onni gets to run like the wind inside the house...seein as she owns it anyway. :D :rolleyes:

Well, I do have bird feeders in the yard, and I think hubby would put up a fight if I tried to take them down. (We have baby bluebirds in our bluebird house.) He's a bit cynical about this whole hawk threat anyway. (I've put my foot down that he best not take any chances though - as losing Rosie, especially due to negligence, would be a life-changing event in our home to me.) But I can happily put things in the yard to scare off birds. I never let her out without one of us watching her, and we do have two other dogs - one is a bright white lhasa and Rosie hangs out with him all the time. So, a hawk might be afraid of him, I hope. I'm gonig to think about the leash idea, but I just hate constraining her after she's used to be able to run. So, still thinking about that. I'm sad to say that although I love all animals, I think I hate predatory birds right now. Is there some kind of device that a dog could wear, that could be remotely activated that could scare a hawk - like one of those remote controlled collars but not to train the dog but to send out a sound, bad smell, or light that would scare the heck out of a hawk if it got her and make it fly away?

That's so awesome you have baby bluejays. I saw one for the first time two days ago (a blue jay not a baby one). They are really pretty. Good idea on the noise making device to scare off hawks. I personally think that small dogs should never be left alone. But that's just me.

my ex's sister has a chi chi named Martini (Martin) who looks JUST like your great grand furkid. And the same thing happened to him. Benadryl made him worse (he was allergic to it) so the vet made this special concoction and it fixed him right up (it wasn't an anti-venom or anything). Poor thing :(

Being married to a falconer I know full well how dangerous and quick hawks and falcons are. They don't necessarily fly in circles ( most likely if there is more than one those are vultures, esp. if they look like a V shape. vultures only eat road kill and dead stuff) for awhile before they swoop. They can come out of absolutely no where. They fly high enough you can't even see them and when they are after prey you would be amazed at the speeds they reach. They have to be faster then the prey. It is true that if you put an owl statue out in your yard in a few places it helps but it's important to move it or them around often. That makes it more realistic and not like it's just another thing in the yard. My Step-Mom had some mechanical owls around the pool that had moving heads. Also you can put one of those ornamental balls on top of your house. If they see their reflection they'll think it's another hawk and probably leave. They are pretty territorial and most don't cross into each others territory. When I'm out on the bike path with Roxie (it's a very open nature type place) I always keep my eye on the sky even if she's on the leash. I hope some of these tips help a little.