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.
Husband and I were in the back yard one day and saw an osprey fly right above us with a fish. A bald eagle (HUGE bald eagle) flew in a and snatched the fish from the osprey. The osprey flew out after the eagle, but I think the eagle won.
It was cool to see right over our yard.
I don't think they made an offer on the home, either.
I have two little dogs and keep them on leashes when they need to go out. An owl got at least one of my chickens and a huge Peking duck that I had for a number of years. I was amazed at the strength of the owl for being able to fly off with such a large duck.
When my dog was a pup, a brazen hawk would always circle above us as we were on walks. I joked, ‘oh just try and snatch my dog’. He is not a small dog either. Bravado exists in all species. So does stupidity.
A few years ago my female lab had a litter of puppies. When the pups were about 5 weeks old I started putting them outside in the yard in a kennel in the grass. One evening I was sitting in the living room looking out the window and a barred owl came to roost in a tree above the kennel. The owl was obviously eyeballing the puppies for dinner. If I hadn't been there I'm sure one or more of the pups would have been eaten. We had a neighbor with a chihuahua that was taken away by a red tailed hawk some years ago, too.
I live on Lake Murray in SC and recently, a bald eagle flew by with a small opossum in its talons. It paused in a nearby tree, then flew off. I have small dogs and this article has me rethinking safety for my pets. Yikes!
We live in a semi-rural area with raptors of all kinds. Our large cat goes out at dawn to hunt, but he always stands in the open door for a while before venturing out. Sometimes, he backs back into the room, having sensed something out there. I have heard Great Horned Owls in the yard. I read that they can carry off an animal that is three times their own weight, so I don’t doubt that one could carry off our 11 lb. cat. My husband laughed at me when I told him this, but your sad experience would seem to prove me right.
Nice! I have a small patch of woods on my property that his home to a Great Horned Owl. I see him occasionally, and he is truly an impressive animal.
“Now hes in trouble w/ the Feds.”
He got what he deserved. Not for killing the bird, but for reporting it.
I live here in southern Arizona. I keep my kitty’s inside. I am now in the process of becoming a falconer. I just love these magnificent birds.
You charge by the hour or by the day? :0)
Sorry, couldn't resist...
Just yesterday, I saw a roadrunner walk by me with a freshly killed hummingbirds in it's mouth; I'd have loved to see that snatch take place.
April looks like the rare Michael Moore Owl.
Reporting it for sure. Killing the owl? On the surface I'd say no, but it wasn't my dog so I withhold judgment on that.
well, all I can say is time to get a real dog.
...little rat dogs named trooper and bandit. Chihuahuas are for yuppie business women who watch too many movies.
Just any local shelter won't do - CA pays shelters to KILL animals (per the Hayden Act) and owner turn ins are presumed to have something serious wrong with them, so they get no waiting period.
Muffy...with a name like that, the dog was probably happy to get carted off.
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