Watch Your Small Dogs! Local Predator Birds are Looking for Appetizers

This is Rosemary Jones beloved pet Teaka- photo by Rosemary Jones of Carleton Place

Yesterday Rosemary posted on her Facebook page:

“Just about lost my little Teaka to a big hawk that just came down on her in the front yard! Thank you to my neighbour Liz for spotting the hawk on its way down so I could get to the dog before the hungry hawk. Teaka is only about 4-5 pounds so she could be a delicious hawk appetizer. I’m on constant hawk patrol now”😱

 If you live in an area frequented by predatory animals, don’t just hope for the best. The need to keep pets safe from predator attacks gets its fair share of coverage by the media, but typically only when a coyote snatches a celebrity’s dog or a hawk drops a puppy from the sky. Regular dogs and cats go missing every day. Distraught owners often never know the fate of their beloved pets, but in certain areas of the country they can assume the worst.

Adding a roof to an outside kennel or otherwise providing secure shelter in your backyard remains key to keeping your pet safe; if the hawk or owl can’t see your dog, he or she doesn’t exist as prey.

If a hawk or owl does show up in your yard, bring your dog inside if necessary, then scare the bird off; the beam of a flashlight will send a great horned owl flying. If a bird of prey builds a nest in your yard, keep your dog away until the babies leave, then remove the nest; removing one that contains eggs or nestlings violates state and federal laws, as does harming birds of prey in general.

It takes a neighborhood to ward off predators. “If you’re doing everything right, but your neighbor is doing everything wrong, you’re going to have conflicts with wildlife. The importance of educating newcomers to an area, as they may not fully understand the threat. And while you won’t likely convince a bird-loving neighbor to take down her feeders, you can take action if a coyote gets too comfortable due to a neighbor’s actions.

Thankfully this ended well.

Jennifer Wooldridge– A hawk almost got my little Yorkie (2.5 pounds) this spring just before the last snow melted. He must have been hungry as she was at my feet when he tried to grab her. I brought her inside and he sat in the tree for over an hour waiting.

Dale Costello— Have 3 small poodles. A 12 pounder which I think is safe, and two 6 pounders which concerns me. I live in the country with a hawk appearing every few days. The hawk is obviously looking for field mice, but wouldn’t turn down a bigger meal. I could easily shoot the hawk, but that goes against my DNA. Just have to keep a watchful eye. Always with them when outside

Karen Prytula–By the way I saw your post about the hawk trying to the your dog away.

My dog looks similar  i.e. size and shape, and he too has been picked on by the big birds…..so much so that he now barks at them when they are circling above…..problem is….he can’t differentiate between a big bird and a small airplane….so he barks at the sky alot!  His name is Biscuit (named by a little girl before I got him), but he is no treat! (he is cross with strangers, and beats up the big dogs).