Enemy of my Yorkie -- Hungry Hawk
 

I post this under emergencies as if you were calmly waiting for your baby to do her business in the yard and then see a shadow quickly get bigger and as you look up you see your baby in the clutches of a huge bird now flying away to never be seen again. Yes this is a very real reality I have almost faced last week. I live in the country with a 18 acre open front yard overlooking a lake. The tall trees nearby are perfect perches for predator hawks. When my neighbor told me his 6 cats disappeared over 2 weeks he assumed a differtent type of predator coming in at night, cototes maybe. Then he say the hawk come down in a flash and swoop away with his momma cat weighing 13 lbs. So of course I became a paranoid daddy keeping my beautiful best friend 3 year old Maggie who weighs 4 lbs with flowing silky fur. After watching for a month it finally happend, the hawk was circling my house eyeballing my Maggie for two days. Think of it!! To helplessly watch your little best friend be carried away to some nest and dismembered alive beginning with the eyeballs!! Yes the ultimate Nightmare!! I have had nightmares over and over ever since my neighbor told me his experience. I decided to take action and obtained a long barrel shotgun. After the hawk flew down in the deadly approach I was spotted so it landed about 40' away in the top of a tree. Later that evening I saw it circling the house and I knew it would not let up until it got my Maggie so I patiently waited to end this once and for all. It was flying chasing a buzzard right on its tail for some reason about 100' away along the tree line. I aimed about 4' in front of him and pulled the trigger. Bang!! He instantly fell in a spiral and landed in the woods. I ran to look and he was just sitting there staring at me with it's wings spread wide. No blood, no feathers, he was perfectly fine. Well what do I do now? I had a serious decision to make. I am face to face 5' away from a healthy Hawk with a 4' wingspan. His eyes blinking at me and wings wide I knew he was created by God to kill and eat small animals. It was him or my baby so I made my decision. I hit him on the head a few times with the barrel of my gun thinking I killed him. I walked back to the garage and got my dog leash to lasso his feet and carry him off to bury. Well as I lassoed his razor sharp claws suddenly he jumped up and was perfectly fine again. I was scared to freakin death!! Now I have a hawk on a dog leash flying around my head like a living kite. I did not know what to do so I ran and ran and ran until I got to my house. I tied the leash to my porch column and went and got my wife. Do we call the law? Now we realize it is probably illegal to hurt a hawk. But come on, what if they take it and just let it go. We will never have any peace not knowing if we he will fly back to his nest nearby. My wife was so distraught and said to me, "If that bird kills our child I will never forgive you." I did not hesitate, it was a fathers duty to protect his child no matter the cost. I thought it more humane to use a .22. I thought a small hole through the brain with a high velocity bullet would cause the brain to explode and liquify without any mess. Was I ever WRONG!! I put the barrel to the birds head, pulled the trigger, and what resulted was a flopping slinging blood mess covering everything within a 5' diameter. After the quick death I felt the claws --- literally sharp as needles. The beak -- literally designed to rip, tear, break bones, and pick every bit of flesh from a living being. I sat down contemplated my actions. I was so torn between right and wrong, was I right or wrong? It took me a few days to firmly conclude I did what had to be done. I had no choice. I am a grown man who made a decision that was best for me and our baby. We cannot trust our law enforcement agencies with every little thing. They would possibly save the life of the bird but I would never have the matter settled and know that I know the creature who chose to target Maggie could Never make the possibility a tragedy come about. I hear they travel in pairs so I will still be keeping an eye to the sky. I am not asking anyone their opinion of if what I did was right or wrong. But I am asking you to keep your eyes open to predators who stalk and wait for small animals no matter how cute or how much you love them. Just ask my neighbor who lost a total of 7 beloved cats and now lives with the nightmare of actually seeing his baby fly away screaming to its miserable and slow torturous death. If you dont live in the city like I, the very real possibility is hiding and waiting for your little precious.

WOW that's one heck of a story! My husband has been telling me to make sure I keep a look out when I have my little 4 lb. Alice outside because he's been seeing a lot of hawks and turkey buzzards the last month or so. We have HUGE turkey buzzards here and while they are usually more scavengers (I wrench when I see them "taking care of" a deer on the side of the road) they have been occasionaly known to pick up small pets out of desperation along with the hawks. It is illegal what you did, but definalty can't say I wouldn't have had my husband do the same thing if one was really stalking my Yorkie for days like that. Yikes:eek: that was a hard desission to make.

Yep it's illegal by federal law and most state laws to kill or harass hawks.

Well, I think you did the right thing. The law wouldn't care if your baby was killed. You did the only thing you could have done in my opinion. Sometimes you have a hard decision to make. Actually, after shooting at it the first time and then being face to face with it, I would have shot it again at closer range and made sure it was over. Then of course I would dispose of the carcass so nobody would find it. Your little Maggie (I have a Maggie too, her pic in my avatar) would have had no chance against that size bird.

I wouldnt have killed the hawk its illegal. I just wouldnt have let my yorkie out without me being on the other end of the leash. It could have been a big dog or a coyote. You cant just kill any potential preditor. It is sad your neighbor lost his cats but he took that and other risks when he allowed them to roam outside

I love all of Gods creatures...

BUT

If something was stalking one of my babies...heck yeah I'd use anything at my disposal to defend them (skin or fur).

By the way, even an owl can't lift 13 lbs so your neighbor is a liar.

I for one do not believe your story and think this is nothing except a very TALL tail. If by some slim chance this is a factual tale my suggestion to you is to pray that the DNR does not come knocking at your door. The killing of a protected species is a very serious crime punishable by time spent behind bars. If you were that unwise to have blown a hawks head off while on the end of a Yorkie leash I would be very concerned about that next knock at your door. Hope you have found YorkieTalk lived up yo all of your expectations.

Totally agree!:thumbup::thumbup:

I live on 5 acres and see Hawks all the time, fortunately they aren't as big as the one you encountered. I always have my 4 on a leash if we are outside. I know it is against the law to kill a Hawk this is why I try to protect my babies. So I won't go to jail.

True or False, Not a post I, in particular, wanted to read on Earth Day.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Wow.....MaggiesDaddy...what a post for your very first one on YT.:eek:

If you know the hawk is a federally protected bird, why would you come on a public forum and admit to breaking the law?

It seems to me you could have come up with a better solution. This isn't the ONLY hawk in your area, are you going to go on a killing spree now? You know owls are just as likely to carry off a pup, are you going to eradicate your area of those also?

Hopefully, after you've killed off the hawk population you won't be plagued by rats, mice, snakes and other vermin the hawks keep populations of in check.

I would and do, protect my pups too, but if at all possible it would not have been at the expense of the life of the bird.

I can't believe it! Look what I found in my backyard. :eek:

Better advice instead of killing a hawk for doing what is natural for them would be to get branches or sticks and rig up fishing line criss crossed across an area big enough for your baby to potty and get a little exercise.

Maybe it was an eagle. Hawk or eagle you have just posted that you killed a federally protected bird on the internet. Are you not too swift, or are you fishing here for others who might have?

The largest eagle in the world weighs ~15 pounds(and it eats fish) so getting a dog/cat in the air by a hawk is not possible. They could injure a dog/cat, but they will not take them away.

Well, that was very interesting... Don't particularly believe much of it, but it was definitely entertaining, I will give you that!

Most who have read my posts know I live in front of a farm. Something always told me, since I got Teddie, to watch him because of the birds I see flying/hovering around the farm and farm animals. My son just recently told me of reading up on hawks and how they will carry off small animals...I listened but really didn't give it much thought. Reading this though has made me think twice about letting Teddie outside, even with his moose of a lab brother and shepherd sister, without human supervision. Thank you for the heads up...no judgment from me, I would have done the same thing to protect my own. You never can tell if your baby can be injured from something like this.

i don't know if this is true or not

Actually large birds like hawks and eagles can kill small animals by just by diving to get them. 128 mph attack with knife sharp talons grabbing a 5-8 pound animal can sever the spine and do damage. Once the animal is dead the bird can take flight for a few minutes, drop them in a field/tree, and feed on them.

I will let my husband share our experience:

It is a terrible shame that many of the readers here are discounting your story. Believe me when I say, I know the terror of which you speak. My wife and I were on vacation in Mexico late last year. It was a cool and pleasant evening as my lady and I eased back into our reclining beach chairs with the alluring white sands of Cabo san Lucus beneath as we were mesmerized by the endless sound of the surf lapping the shore. The way the moonlight danced across the surface of the water it was almost like starring out into an abyss of twinkling stars. God, it was so tranquil. Lake Erie back home had nothing on this. Finding warmth in the gentle breeze, our baby, Noo-noo, was curled up in a little furry ball on my wife’s lap. Noo-noo was a rescue Yorkie that we had picked a few years earlier in Boston. She was pulled from a burning puppy mill by an orphan boy just moments before the licking flames of the blaze consumed her. As I sipped my ice-cold, bright green margarita, my wife leaned over to kiss me. She giggled when the salt from my lips cleaved to hers. Playfully, I said, “Well, you can’t have the salt without the drink.” She smiled so warmly, as she often does, and leaned over to enjoy a sip of my drink. She must have leaned over to far disturbing little Noo-noo because she hopped down from my wife’s lap. “Awe, Noo-noo,” I said lightheartedly, “did mommy ruin your bed?” All three of us enjoyed a generous giggle, but that was swiftly cut short when we heard rustling coming from some nearby foliage that was nestled just a few yards away in the menacing darkness. To this day, the hair stands up on the back of my neck by merely recalling that night by memory. This is the first time I have spoken of it since the incident, but I feel as if I am amongst friends here. The rustling continued, but never confined to one area. Now, at this point our little Noo-noo begins to bark and who could blame her? She only desired to protect her mommy and daddy. She was so brave starring off into the shadowed mystery before us while I was frozen in fear. Noo-noo began to take a few steps forward, her tiny body barely leaving prints in the sand behind her. “Get back here, Noo-noo!” My wife’s yelling seemed almost inaudible to those little pointy ears with long brown hairs cascading from the tips. She was determined. Out of shear concern for Noo-noo, I jumped to my feet, a decision I will regretfully haunt my dream for the rest of my life. Apparently, Noo-noo must have summated that I rose behind her to back her up, you know, to stand our ground. She charged directly toward the vegetation and whatever sinister figure lurked behind the leaves it bore! I screamed for her to stop as she dashed forward, the little pads of her fuzzy feet strew sand into the air in her wake! I heard my wife cry out, “Noo-noo!!” That’s when we saw it! I have heard the blood-curdling tales of the chupacabra but never dreamed I would stare one down on the beaches of Mexico! Without warning, its threatening wail filled the night air! It lunged forward snatching Noo-noo! It stood up right in the luminance of the moon. What a terrifying creature! Its eyes were black as the devil’s soul, deep, intense, cradling the definition of evil to such a degree that it could strike fear in the hearts of even the most strapping of men. Noo-noo thrashed and growled ferociously in the razor-clawed clutches of the chupacabra. It stood before me, its chest heaving and suddenly in a quickened jolt of its wooly arms a YELP, followed by a beastly silence! Again, from behind I hear the agonizing cry bellowing from my wife, “Boo-boo!!!” Boo-boo? I turned to look at her. It seems, my wife, caught up in the romantic evening just moments before, forgot that she was allergic to margarita salt. Her lips were swollen so badly that they looked like Mick Jagger was attacked with a bicycle pump filled with collagen! I began to laugh hysterically until I was struck in the back with Noo-noo’s lifeless body! I spun around and the chupacabra hissed with vengeance. Then it happened… I soiled myself. The pungent smell of man fear repelled the hellish creature back into the night. My wife and I buried our beloved, little Noo-noo on the beach that night, an empty margarita glass taking on the role as a tiny, salty tombstone. RIP Noo-noo

Minn. Dog Owner Recalls Dramatic EagleAttack Minn. Dog Owner Recalls Dramatic Eagle Attack CBS Minnesota

A story to make everyone think twice.

Protect Pets From Birds of Prey - Protect Pets From Owls and Hawks - Keep Pets Safe

Interesting article...

My wife left her Yorkie Talk forum up on my laptop. I had decided to be playful and leave a comment. She has since read it and grew very irrate towards me. So, please send hate mail to her husband, not her. Thank you. :confused:

Yes they can kill your pet, but a 15 lb animal could not fly off with your 8 lb pet. How far could you walk carrying something 1/2 your weight? Think about that then think about flying off with it, which would take much more effort.

Especially one the has feasted of 6 cats in a 2 week time. The thing would be so stuffed it wouldn't be able to move let alone fly away.

I am envisioning you looking like Fabio on the beach. :p Long flowing hair with Noo Noo at your side. Oops chapacabra :rolleyes:

During the breaks in my wonderful night tonight I could not help but stew about this post. Yes, I hope you're happy OP, someone is thinking about you.

My dad talked to some business owners 2 summers ago, I believe, that brought 2 yorkies to work with them. They kept the back door of the biz open & the dogs on a tie out that they could come in and out of.
One day the lady (an older lady) heard her yorkie crying out...she went outside & saw that a hawk had lifted it into the air and was trying to carry it off. I don't know how big either were, but she and her husband basically pulled the dog back down by the lead in addition to throwing things at the hawk. It finally let the yorkie go, the yorkie was not hurt physically, though they were all very upset.
The business is on the outskirts of town, not on vast amounts of land, but not right in the city.
I don't know if the dogs were tied out as a precautionary measure or what but by the way my dad told me, they were.

If the OP was on the lookout for these birds of prey for a week (at least), why could he not come up with another single solution to the possible problem? Why not physically supervise the dogs or try to find a natural way to deter them? Why not fire a shot or two off a little farther away than four feet in their direct path of flight?
He lives in the country, is that because he thinks there is no wild life there? And why would he give such a gruesome play by play of his disgusting attack on an innocent animal? :thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown

I can't help but wonder if he would feel the same way had his yorkie wandered onto someone else' property to chase their cat and the cat's owner shot & killed him, then buried him so they could evade any criminal charges....

Of course protect those that you are responsible for, your family, friends, pets, but you can't just go on a bloody rampage out of paranoia. Some people hurt people, does that mean we should go take them all out before they have a chance? Or should we be proactive to do what we can to prevent something from happening and if we do find ourselves in the actual situation deal with it then?

I think it's sick what you've done, you and any other poster can try to justify it anyway you want, however I will stick to my right to form and post my own opinion as well as believe in karma, which I believe will deliver a very warranted reality check to you.

Good night, I hope you are sleeping well.

I don't know if the story is true or not. But I can't stand in judgement on this one. I know it is illegal to kill a hawk, but come on people if it was your furbaby or a hawk...Kill the hawk.

One of the posters said it right...the law wouldn't care if it was your animal that was killed.

I'm not for cruelty to anything, but I think I would protect my own just like a mother bear!:aimeeyork

Oh my Yorkie....that is hilarious....awful, but, hilarious!!! Wife, go easy on your man....the story was a riot to read. Husband, shame on you! I think she will forgive you only if you show your sincerity with a diamond gift of some sort!

All I can say is Wow, this has turned into quite the interesting thread.

P.S. Poor Noo Noo.

P.S.S. My neighbor told me it is a $10,000 fine to shoot a red-tailed hawk in my subdivision.