Posted on 03/11/2010 2:43:15 AM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
(Fox News) - Most pet owners take steps to protect their animals. In Santa Rosa, California, Odessa Gunn worried a car or coyote might one day claim the lives of her dogs, which is why she and her husband, renowned American cyclist Levi Leipheimer, fenced in their property.
But Fox News reported Wednesday that they're mourning the loss of their beloved Chihuahua, Trooper, and nursing their other dog, Bandit, back to health. The attacker came from an unlikely place -- the sky.
Gunn had just let her dogs out into the backyard and was preparing to join them. She recalls, "in the time it took me to put my boots on, I heard what sounded like a really horrendous cat screeching noise. I thought it was a mountain lion or a bobcat or something."
In fact, it was a pair of Great Horned Owls, birds that typically eat rats and squirrels. On this recent night, the birds set their sites on larger prey. From out of the darkness, the two owls swooped down and attacked Trooper and Bandit, just feet away from where Gunn stood.
After a violent struggle, Bandit escaped, bloody and limping, but Trooper was carried off and hasn't been seen since. No fur. No blood. Nothing.
While there are really no good statistics on the frequency of such attacks, wildlife experts say they're rare but almost always lethal. In many ways, owls are the perfect predators; they approach without warning, and their razor-sharp talons can snatch a pooch or cat two to three times their own body weight.
Nature.
It’s amazing sometimes. The law of Fang & Claw.
It is George Bush’s fault.
Yorkies must not taste hot enough or no cumin.
There are several red tail hawks in my neighborhood that dive for my dog all the time. He’s 15 pounds so they change their minds but a Chihuahua wouldn’t be a problem for them at all!
Sort of lends new meaning to the Taco Bell commercials.
Hypothetically speaking, if someone had a small dog they hated, how could they entice and owl to take the pain in the a$$?
Often I get to watch the neighborhood sparrow hawk land in our trees and look for prey around the bird, rabbit, and squirrel feeders. Not so surprisingly, when the hawk is around, nothing else is stirring.
The cats do a good job of avoiding the coyotes around here but they don't do as well with the owls.
....and your little dog too...
I know these people are from CA, but didn’t they realize a fence offers no protection against Owls and other Raptors?
See, all you CA folks, they can FLY OVER the top of the.....oh, never mind
I know these people are from CA, but didn’t they realize a fence offers no protection against Owls and other Raptors?
See, all you CA folks, they can FLY OVER the top of the.....oh, never mind
I know these people are from CA, but didn’t they realize a fence offers no protection against Owls and other Raptors?
See, all you CA folks, they can FLY OVER the top of the.....oh, never mind
Take your pet to a local shelter where they will find it a home with someone who wants him/her.
Good riddance to annoying barking rats.
The resolution to this problem is to get a real dog not some Paris Hilton purse pup.
Beautiful! I love owls!
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