More sad stories
 

A few days ago I got a call from someone who had bought one of my baby boys several years ago. She called broken hearted because her precious little 4 pound boy was killed by an owl. She had let him out early in the morning to do his business as always, it was still dark outside. She said she always watches him but she ran in the house just for a brief moment to put down a coffee cup and she heard the bird screech. When she rushed back outside her baby was gone. She searched for him for an hour and could not find him. Later that day they found his little body. She figured the bird dropped him after grabbing him. So so sad.

This morning I got another call from someone else that just lost their precious little 4 lb girl. This person had a german shepherd female that had been raised with the little yorkie. Both females were spayed and around 3 years old I think. She said the german shepherd had always been gentle but out of the blue, for no reason she turned on the little yorkie and killed her. She was devastated. The lady was so upset she said she could not even look at the german shepherd. She had the german shepherd put to sleep because she felt the attack on the little dog was so vicious that she could not be trusted. She feared she could possible turn on a child and she did not want that on her conscious. I told her I did not necessarily agree with putting the shepherd down but then I did not witness the little yorkie being killed.

So friends, hold your babies close and love them. Tragedy can strike in a split second. Sometimes the unthinkable can happen.

Wow! How terrible! I can't imagine going through that twice! I am sure you are heartbroken as well!

Yes so very true and sometimes we have to do things that help make the situation better (others will disagree but that is life) like I have with my Lexie.

Very sad indeed.

I'm so sorry. Rest in peace little ones. Sometimes I feel crazy for being so over protective of my yorkies... But even the most careful people lose them. You slack for one minute or a freak thing happens and they are gone. When Suri passed I just get hoping I would wake and hear her little bark. :(

OMG, I am so sorry, that is why I stand by the door when my gang is out, and they are much bigger, but we do have birds of pray in my neck of the woods and you can never be too careful. My son came home yesterday with a similar story, a little 5 pound yorkie wonder into the neighbors yard and was brutally attack by the dog in the yard. He did not make it, his wounds were too severe and the owners asked for him to be put to sleep. :(:(
so sad,
hugs,
Carmen in nj

wow...this is terrible
I have never heard of another household pet turning on a smaller one??
How often does this happen?
I also have a JackRussell/Pug cross, she is 3 years old. So far she seems to love my little yorkie. But I do watch when they play & stop the play if I think it is getting too rough. Now I am really nervous!!

Oh that is so sad. :( RIP in peace babies.

Ok, I'm going to have to have my daughter and husband read this because they think I'm a freak when I go outside with our furbutts. I'm always with them and I hover . . .we've had a lot of hawks in our area over the past couple years and I am petrified that they will swoop down. I will be out there with them and if I hear a hawk I scoop them up and go inside. It's crazy to think that I have to do that, really, I mean I must look like a sight freakin out over a bird squawking . . .if I'm just out there with Brody alone all I have to do is say to him "HAWK" and he lays down . . .:eek: Not sure how that would ever protect him, but he knows the word . . .:)

:( So sad. I'm in tears. RIP

That is the scary thing is you never know. Our pups range from2 pounds to 5 pounds and I really wanted a bigger dog... But never would Because I couldn't take the chance. Sometimes a bigger dog may accidently hurt a smaller pup but that accident can kill them. I have seen smaller dogs disfigured from bigger dogs falling on them or smacking them with a paw.

We're out in the country and there's always hawks. In the summer I can hear owls in the tree line. Even though it's cold up here I never let the little one out without being there. They can get into trouble so quickly and have no idea what an Owl or Hawk will do to them. And it's not just an attack from the air that has me careful, there's quite a few coyote around here. It isn't limited to the country either. I've seen Hawks and Owls in the suburbs to the south.

These stories are very sad, but thank you for posting them as it may help many dog owners understand the dangers.

People think I am paranoid about my little pup and don't understand why I keep her on a leash at all times. It is because I could not handle losing her to a big dog or owl, hawk, coyote, etc. I explain, it would be like having a pet rabbit and expecting it to be safe running loose. I am sure you can train rabbits to "come" but would you count on it in a dangerous situation?

Accidents do happen, just do your best to keep your furpups safe. My heart just aches for those little ones and their families.

Very sad stories but well flagged up.If it makes one person think extra carefully about their babies it could save a little life , They are so precious and vulnerable

Very,very sad :( Rest in Peace little ones :littleangS

I read about something called "Predatory Drift" when a big dog is playing with a little dog and all of a sudden - sees them as prey. And that it can happen even with two dogs that have lived together for years.

That was a big discussion on another board I'm on. It worries me because my Westie is three times Lucy's size. It seems like he knows when he is getting too rough with her - he will go and grab a toy and put it in his mouth. They will still roll around together - but he will have a toy in his mouth and not be play-biting her.

Here's a blurb on predatory drift:

"Predatory Drift happens when the larger dog's instinct to hunt are triggered.


These instincts can be triggered when play escalates or gets too much like the real thing (an out of control chase game). It can happen when a small dog gets scared or injured and squeals or wrigglesin a way that makes them look like prey (dinner), Predatory Drift can happen just because thesize difference says, "You are comparatively bite-sized, or move like something that is bite-sized, and I am a canine predator."

Yikes! I never leave mine alone together when I am not home. Scary.

That is so sad:(

So sad. God bless those little ones.

Hugs Shirl x x

How terrible, my heart goes out to all who've lost a pet especially in such awful circumstances.:( We do our very best to protect our little one's but such is life that we can never know just what's around the corner. I know of two greyhounds that turned on and killed a little Yorkie while the owner (an old lady) was walking it.
Having a Yorkie or any small dog is rather like having a toddler that never grows up.

what sad stories these are. i hate reading them but at the same time, they really do serve as the best warnings to keep watch over our little ones.

i had never heard of predatory drift before but i wonder if that's what was involved in a horrible incident between my parents two dogs. one is a rescued mutt, part hound, with a sweet though hyper disposition. the other is an 11 year old pembroke corgi and the love of my mother's life.

in november, they got into it and my 70 year old mother had to rip them apart. their house looked like a crime scene in the aftermath and nobody could believe my mother escaped injury. it happened out of nowhere with zero warning and her corgi very nearly died, his trachea was ripped wide open, requiring surgery and weeks in the hospital. thousands of dollars later and after nearly losing him several times, they were able to take him home and he's happy as can be.

when he got home he wanted to go play with his sister, the mutt, but my parents were obviously terrified of taking a chance. months later, my mom still spends half her time making sure those two dogs can't get to each other.
iwhen i get lulu a sibling it will likely be another yorkie but it definitely won't be a large dog. i love big dogs, but i never want to experience what my folks did.

It's so upsetting to read that a bird of prey took a small dog. This stay's
in my mind for day's thinking of the terror that little one felt. It's so sad
to read.
As far as the family pet, GS, I don't care how gentle a dog is, it still
is a dog and can, for whatever reason, turn aggressive. Something
had to trigger the change but somethings you never know.
Just another tragic sad story. RIP to both of them.

My DH was out in the yard with my 14 week old yorkie Mia. She was not more than 6 feet from him when a coyote ran up and snatched her. He chased the coyote and it did drop her but she died in my husbands arms. He built me a 25 x 25 x 25 x 25 foot fenced play area for them. We still don't leave them outside alone but now they are enclosed so nothing can get them. If they are not in the play area they are on a leash. I don't think I could stand that ever happening again.

I have a friend in Florida that has 3 adult yorkies. She has an enclosed pen so she does not always stay outside with them. I was given a 6 month old yorkie that the owner did not want because she could not potty train it. My 3 did not like her and growled when ever she came near. I felt so sorry for her. She just wanted to play. We went to visit my friend and of course had all 4 yorkies with us. Her 3 loved the 6 month old and her daughter fell in love with her too. So I decided to let her have the puppy. She had her for 3 months with no problem. She put them in the pen on day and came out about an hour later and the puppy was dead. She had puncture marks in her throat. She never did find out which of her 3 killed the puppy or why.

These stories are so sad. I have been so fortunate that I have never lost a dog from an accident. Being a breeder I have got so many calls over the years from devastated pet owners that have lost dogs due to tragic accidents. I think the top of the list is dogs that somehow get out of the house and get hit by a car. I can easily see how that can happen because we have a big screened in porch at the front of our house so we have to actually go through two doors to get outside. Thank goodness for this because over the years there have been a couple of occasions when we would realize one of the dogs was on the porch and we did not know it. Sometimes they can sneak out so easily when we are coming in the door.

I think second on the list would be dogs killed by other dogs. Sometimes it is intentional and sometimes by accident.

I never let Pixie out by herself. If i did she would ran and chase after anything that moved. Living in a wood area I see hawks all the time. Pixie is always on a leash and If I do see a Hawk hoovering over head I pick her up right away and go into the house.

Sorry to hear of everyone that has lost a Yorkie. They need our protection.

:cry::lovewings:rbyorkie::ghug:

Sad and Scary
 

So saddening to hear this. But, it is so real. I see big birds around here often...hate when mine want to go outside and not use the pads.
My heart goes out to your friend that lost her little one to her German Sheppard.

My goodness, I am so sorry to here this! How sad for both of them! :( Your heart must be heavy too.

I may be anal but I won't be letting Cerise go out to potty. She is too small and too many horrors can happen. She will use the potty box. Two of them. One upstairs and one downstairs. She will only go outside somewhere when we are away from home, and ONLY by being in her harness/lead with me, with her.

I also will not have her around big dogs. Socialization is important, and she can be the smartest of all Yorkies, but it's the other dogs, and sometimes their owners, that I don't trust.