Charlie had a close call tonight

[fyrffytr1]

I let our Yorkie, Charlie out tonight to do his business. We fenced in a small section of our yard so he can run. Anyway, about 5 minutes passed and I went out to get him. When I opened the door into the yard I noticed some movement in a small tree right outside the fence. I made a beeline for Charlie and just as I got close a very large owl flew out of the tree and into a pine tree about 50 feet away. It sat there an watched as I got Charlie to come to me and let him in the house.
I don't know for sure if the owl would have attacked the dog but I am glad it didn't get a chance to.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[creskol]

Dog Yummy .. I don't know if they attack a small dog or not, but glad you didn't have to find out the hard way!

 

[Blak bart]

 

[Blak bart]

I guess them birds dont play around !!

 

[against the wind]

There is a large population of Birds of prey up here in the Pennsylvania Wilds. Everything from Owls and Hawks to Bald Eagles. Normally, I wouldn't worry but Spring is right around the corner which is when I plan on starting my training for my pigeons.
Glad everything worked out for Charlie.

 

[diggummup]

I have a small 9lb Chihuahua mix that I worry about when out and about, even in my own yard.
Especially since he doesn't know fear (when it comes to other animals) and has a huge Napoleon complex.
He's fought cats bigger than him, an opossum once and chases raccoons regularly.
Yesterday he was chasing a 3 ft black snake that lives on the side of the house.
I really have to watch him.

On a related note...
I was walking home peacefully through the woods one day when I was a teenager, I had a moppy head full of dirty blonde hair, all of a sudden some type of raptor sunk his talons into my scalp thinking I was a rabbit or something I guess. I thought a big flying carpet (for some reason) was falling out of the sky and landing on my head lol. I think it was a hawk but to be honest I don't know what it was. It was a very strange encounter. I will never forget that. Yes, it did leave marks.

 

[dirtlooter]

small pets are potential food for several critters from coyotes to owls and eagles. all they see is a food source, not a pet. oh yes, forgot the alligators and big snakes down south. to them, food is food. have lost several dogs and cats to the coyotes, managed to save one one time but just barely.

 

[T.C.]

A Great Horned Owl once packed off one our Mallard ducks. We found what was left of him about 50' from the chicken yard. Those Owls are big enough to take a small dog. Oh yeah, we call those little dogs "Coyote Cusine."

 

[fyrffytr1]

I don't have to worry about coyotes but I did have a 4' alligator in my backyard several years ago. Charlie weighs 10 pounds but a large owl might try to make a meal out of him.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Great save!

 

[CarsonChris]

Glad your dog escaped harm!

My two corgis love chasing rabbits in our back yard. The last few weeks I haven't seen a rabbit until the snow melted a little under a pine tree in my yard. Under the pine tree there were owl pellets and a half eaten rabbit. My little female corgi is tiny, not much larger than a rabbit. Now we won't let her out unless we are out with her. We worry that owl will get her. Not to mention the large golden eagle that ate my neighbors chicken. Death from above I tell ya!

 

[EdHartzel]

I dated a girl years ago that told about her pet rabbit. She made a low fence enclosure for it in to hop around the yard. Well sure enough- some big wingspanned bird swooped down and did it in! Glad Charlie is allright!

 

[Red James Cash]

I read a story in a Outdoor life magazine about a guy that wanted to be a forest ranger.Well he did become a forest ranger to make a story short,while at work one day he was wearing a hat made from a muskrat skin.He was walking down a wooded trail and was attacked and killed by a great horned owl.The owl was after his hat.

 

[A2coins]

Good you were there

 

[Limitool]

Back in the 1990's my parents had taken in a stray cat they named "Boots". I went down to visit my dad and he said he couldn't find "Boots" anywhere today. So I looked all over and called and still no Boots appearance. Then 3 days later my dad called and said get on down here now. So I trotted through our woods the 200 yds. to see him. There was boots lying on the deck in not so good health. Both sides of her hind quarters had deep gashes into her flesh. I took cat to the vet and dropped off. Vet called later and said the cat was picked up by a bird of pray and hauled off and I could come get her now. She was gonna live and be ok. The wounds looked worse when all the fur was shaved off exposing them. One can only imagine the hell that cat went through being carried off in flight and then reaching around attacking herself before being dropped somewhere. It took her days to crawl back up to the deck. Dad said he watched her crawl up at about 9 am and was barley moving. She's still alive today and shows no sign of the attack now.

 

[T.C.]

I read a story in a Outdoor life magazine about a guy that wanted to be a forest ranger.Well he did become a forest ranger to make a story short,while at work one day he was wearing a hat made from a muskrat skin.He was walking down a wooded trail and was attacked and killed by a great horned owl.The owl was after his hat.

Seriously??

 

[Red James Cash]

Seriously??

Yeah,seriously.Raptors talons are used for killing.Most raptors kill by piercing the spinal cord in the neck.Once a raptor grasps you with its talons it requires no effort from the raptor to hang on.The raptors tendons that are used for its talons are toothed like the plastic zip strips you buy .They lock the talons closed requiring no muscular effort from the bird to hang on.A raptor can seriously mess you up.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

The neighbors have a herd of little Yorkies, and we have red tailed hawks, too.
I need to remind her, to be on the lookout.....
I got to set the possum trap tonight, too(Diggumup reminded me of that, lol).

Glad little Charlie is ok. You may want to consider some chicken wire, wired over
the top of your little doggie run.

 

[pulltabfelix]

I don't know about other area, but twice I have see a huge owl swoop down through my back yard and they are big birds. They appear much bigger than our typical hawks. Our big worries in Atlanta are coyotes. Yes, you heard me, they are all over north Atlanta suburbs and taking small pets left and right. Especially cats who get out and lost and don't have a clue about mother nature. A DNR rep told me that coyotes see cats not only as food but as competitors for small game like rabbits and squirrels and kill them for that reason.