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.
Cats are ok but as a bird owner, they're just not my thing. I haven't counted lately but I'd say I have close to 15 in all. They're not pets and, aside from the occaisional rabbit I don't even feed them...I don't have to. By controlling the rat and mouse population they do a great job of feeding themselves. No rats or mice, no snakes. I learned this from a neighbor who passed back in 2006. He had lived out here since 1947. :-)
Sorry, my year through the Bible has me in Deuteronomy now. :)
Two weeks ago, near my neighborhood, a man let his Yorkie out to pee one night.
An owl, probably a Great Horned took the Yorkie right in front of him.
He got a shotgun and shot the owl, then called the police.
Now he’s in trouble w/ the Feds.
What's the URL for "larger prey?" It's spelled "sights." Things you look through to focus your aim.
Copy editor probably never handled a weapon or took an English class in his or her life.
Well it tastes a lot like California condor.
I got to the private range my club leases, with my son for a day of shooting...it is on the opposite side of the road from an airport which is for private planes and the local air national guard....on the airport side of the road from range entrance a road kill deer was being picked at and eaten by a large owl. we stopped next to it for a minute and watched it....
we went to the range for a couple of hours....
...upon exiting we looked for the owl but it was gone.....along with the 80 lb deer...of course we know that there are patrolling maintenance people who clean up the airport side of the road....but the last time we saw the deer it had the owls talons firmly clasped into it...makes ya think.
n honest mistake.
3 Ss
Shoot
Shovel
Shutup
Now he’s in trouble w/ the Feds.
He forgot the most important of the three S's; shoot, shovel and SHUT UP!
Frankly, I’m waiting for it it happen to the neighbor’s obnoxious dog next door. Plenty of times eagles have been perched in the trees here or have flown through nice and low.
Tastes like dog!
We have several pair of bald eagles that nest near our home. They are amazing when they swoop down and grab prey. I’ve seen them carry off big fish, squirrels, snakes...I think a chihuahua, on land, would be easy pickins’ for a large bird of prey.
My bet is that this is not about his pet. The critter probably belongs to his “significant other”.
Just guessing...
We are babysitting my son and daughter-in-laws dog, a 5 lb yorkie for the next month and during the day I am terrified of the red tails that have been in our neighborhood for the past several years.
At night I have to worry about the barred owls. I put her on a lease hoping I could snatch her back.
I can't imagine trying to explain to my DIL how her dog disappeared-my son wouldn't mind but it would break her heart.
LOL!!
LOL—we had an owl hunting our yorkie at one time. We had to take extra precautions when letting her out of the house.
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