owls
 

i live in southern nj near the delaware river. i have a 5lb yorkie who is 3 yrs old. a few days ago i thought i may of heard an owl. i've never seen on in my area before. i usually walk my yorkie then let him run supervised in my yard for a little while. today, around 2pm i saw an owl swooping down towards my baby. i screamed for him to stay still. i ran and grabbed him in my arms. as i headed towards my home the owl did not let up. he was at a very low level circleing us. he was so close i could clearly see his creepy face. i thought owls were night predators. after we were safely in the house he was still around my home. i did a little reseach on owls and learned they can't tell the difference between yorkies and squirels exc. we do have many stray cats in the neighborhood. noone calls animal control because they keep the rodent population under control. (our famous local river rats can be huge) i thought maybe the lack of rodents are causing the owl to look for new prey. does anyone know how to deter owls? i am planning on just walking my yorkie until we can owl proof the play area. will putting up fishing line over the yard work? what can i do? please help.

:eek: How scary was that?! Were I live we have horned owls at night. Red Tail Hawks during the day. I'm always aware of whats above, I've heard stories of Birds Of Prey swooping down right and grabbing little dogs right in front of their owners.Maybe someone else might have more advice. Keep your eyes on the sky! :eek:

I always jump in on these threads because I have the same problem but with a hawk. I didn't think there was much danger - never heard of birds attacking dogs and didn't really think about it (only saw the hawk high in the sky a few times over many years). Then one day the hawk landed very low in a tree clearly looking at Gus. I think the only reason he didn't attack and landed instead was because I was close. Another day it actually landed on the ground when my niece was outside (Gus was inside). Now I keep him on a leash and stay close.
I wouldn't let him run free unless you can build something above that you know they can't get through. Villette knows someone who had their dog carried off and not long ago a hawk got into a screened in porch after another YT member's dogs. It is scary.

Not to freak you out but I think owls rip the heads off of their prey. Sorry, I just want you to be very careful.

I got caught up telling you about my story I forgot to say thank goodness you were able to get to him in time and safely in the house.

thanks for the replies.

only in New York
 

I guess no one ever saw on the news about some one small dog getting picked up by a hawk in New York City right off the street. The lady was walking the dog on a lech. She had to take the dog to the vet to be treated. It was on the news about a year or two ago.


Hanna

owls/hawk attacks (are they common)
 

omg. i never realized owl and hawks were such a predator. i'm trying to deal with the owl. i'm looking into ways to deter owls and hawks. i saw online the balloon like balls you hang in trees with creepy eyes on them. they are supposed to intimidate these problem birds. are these attacks common???? i feel bad that romeo has not been able to run free in the yard since our terrible incident. any ideas??? please help. all suggestions are welcome. thanks.

Thank God you got your baby in time. I live in NJ also. A yorkie in my town was taken by a hawk off the front lawn. The women who owned him had absolutely no time to react. I have seen hawks take rabbits off of my front lawn. They just swoop down and in a blink of an eye are off with their victim.

eeeeee gads ...i live in rockland county ny ..just outside NJ ..i see hawks all the time along the river where i live i must be extra careful at taking Mini out ..Also live in a real wooded area ..Gawd i would Die if anything hurt her .

This thread scares me to death...I am always on the lookout for birds of prey in my town,too. We have a large seasonal hawk population..they pass thru this area in the fall and Audobon(sp?) groups come here to watch them. I have counted 20 of them flying above but they were very high up. My dog is 4.5lbs so I know she is at risk so I keep her on a leash at all times. I also stay aware of what is above. You mentioned the balloon like balls and I have a similar story to share. We live near a park with a large pond. This has attracted a large year round goose population and the resulting goose poop problem. Many experts have been hireed by our town to humanely get them to leave. Most recently a goose behaviorist was hired to place strobe lights, plastic lifesize coyotes, and large plastic balloon- like balls in and around the pond. This worked for about one day and the geese realized that they were in no danger and returned. I guess my point is birds are a lot smarter than given credit and will quickly learn if they are in danger or not. If there is prey or food around they will return. In the goose's case people think it is fun to take their kids to the park and feed them without considering the fact that every path is covered in goose feces and it is unsanitary to take our dogs and kids to walk and play there.The geese have managed to chase away the ducks and also will chase our dogs and small children. Just don't trust the balloon idea..I would hate to hear that something happened to your or anyone's furbaby. :(

owls
 

thanx for your input. your right about the balloons. they probaly are smarter than we think. i would be devasted if an owl got my baby. i'm in the process of getting expert advice. if i learn any good deterants i'll let u know. i think all the furbabys are vulnerable. oh yah, a coworker told me a hawk almost got her 30lb dog. nearly ripping his skin off if she did not save him. i think all yorkies are at risk. be careful. please, tell everyone to keep an eye in the sky.

Owls
 

i am still trying to find a way to keep an owl away. we had a very close call with an owl. i hear him hooting everyday and i am haunted by our close call. i need help finding a humane way to keep it away. please help.

owls
 

Have you tried calling someone that deals with wild birds. There are bird clubs. check online maybe they might be able to help you.

Sorry dont know what else you can do.


Hanna

What a scary story. I have always had this same fear with my yorkie being outside. I was more scared of hawks, I never really even considered owls. HOw scary!

Redtail hawks have always been a very big concern. I never leave my dogs out unsupervised.

This is a very good Idea :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: Try the Audubon Society. They can direct you to the group in your area. Good luck and keep yours eyes looking up. I know I will, too :eek:

I live in Phoenix and actually have a horned owl AND a hawk living in trees in my neighbors' yards. I am absolutely terrified! I know someone who lives near my neighborhood who lost a yorkie ( 6 pounder) to an owl ... I did see a little bunny get scooped up and carried away by the hawk once a few years ago... I just don't let my little guy out alone ever.

i'm going to try the audubon society. that's a good idea. thanx.

Predators
 

Like all of you we have predators around us on a daily basis. It doesn't matter where you live Hawks are a real problem both in city areas and country areas.

I have Bald Eagles here near the Delaware Water Gap area and north - plus we have a coyote population that seems to be on the rise. I just read somewhere about a guy in Ca. who lost his dog walking in Beverly Hills to a coyote. This was in broad daylight and his dog was obedience trained walking by his side (I don't believe on leash). He heard a yelp and chased the coyote but to no avail.

No matter what the predator all our pets are always in danger and need our constant watching.

How many stories do you hear about children being abducted in their own backyards? No different here - they need safe locked enclosures, including a top, to run around in - which just isn't possible for all of us.

Therefore, having them on a leash is the next best option. They can still be grabbed but you have the other end to save them from whatever it is that has grabbed them.

So whether you live in a city area, or country area please watch your pets!

In Maryland?
 

This is all so scary!! I've heard of it happening... but not in my area. I live in Maryland, right outside Washington, DC - are there any birds around here I should be concerned about? I've never heard any, but would like to know just in case.

there are owls and other birds of prey in maryland too. maryland is heavily wooded. be careful. **i've slacked off on my owl research. i've been in maui with my niece who was attacked by a shark. she's ok. ** there are owls on maui too.