Hawk Attacks Chihuahua

http://www.local6.com ^ | UPDATED: 10:53 a.m. EDT August 6, 2003 | http://www.local6.com

[Tank-FL]

NEW YORK -- It was like a Wild Kingdom fight for survival in Manhattan's Bryant Park. A hawk attacked a Chihuahua dog Tuesday.

The hawk is in the park as part of a program to scare away pigeons and rodents. However, the dog was on a leash near some bushes when the hawk swooped down.

Thomas Cullen, the falconer who is in charge of the hawks, said the bird may have mistaken the dog for a rat.

A few people were able to separate the bird and dog. The dog suffered wounds and was being treated.

The Bryant Park Restoration Committee, which hired Cullen and his hawks, said it may suspend the program.

[Bonaparte]

"...chained 20 lb weights to their pets and wrapped them in electrified barbed wire..."

Or you could just dressed them up as Eagles.

[warchild9]

My best friend had this killer cat back in the 60's--it would kill anything it could snatch up, mice, birds, frogs, and torture them to death. I detested that animal (and, I'll admit, most all cats), so it was no sad thing when a BIG HONKING Stuka bluejay hammered it jut right on the spine and killed that cat dead right in front of me. Quite amazing.

[Bonaparte]

The majestic Gyr falcon. It puts the peregrines to shame.

[Lazamataz]

Now THAT is a handsome bird!

[Bonaparte]

I saw one up close. They are truly stunning. Higher flying, stronger and faster than the peregrine, too.

[Double Tap]

I've got to agree with you. This is a dumb idea. There will be more pet attacks as the raptor doesn't care what it is, dog, rat, cat... whatever. It just wants to kill it.

[farmfriend]

My rat was cuter. Good rats do act like small dogs. Only they don't bark.

[mountaineer]

That's a great story from Alaska. I only wish one of our local hawks would follow the example, and snatch up that &$#! yappy Chihuahua that lives across the street. His owners tie him up outside and leave him there for hours, and he yaps the entire time. They also put him out in the middle of the night. Yep, more yapping, and I'm awakened at 3:30 a.m. He's frazzling my last nerve.

It's like a Seinfeld episode, except I don't have a "Newman" to take care of the problem.

[cyborg]

The amount of refuse that NYC generates is like a rat's moveable feast.

[trussell]

Your compassion for someone's beloved pet is overwhelming. Thankyou for your thoughtful comment.

[Fire_on_High]

LOL Ain't that the truth of it? We've had chis before and even the nastiest of my current 7 rats is a lot easier to get along with than that little hellion was.

[this_ol_patriot]

Yeah guess what, while it's nice to have raptors around Redtails have taken over our golf courses. I never saw rats except at the dump, now we have them in Congress. I never saw seagulls except at the shore, now every mall parking lot has them. I never saw Canada Geese except twice a year flying north and south, now every community pond and lake has them. I never saw a Redtail except down by the river, now they steal your balls but only when on the green, a birdie shot. This really happened no BS.

[Ichneumon]

Last year I heard a huge ruckus in my backyard, a flock crows were screeching like crazy, and I caught just a fleeting glance of a big hawk flying away, with a crow in his talons.

A few Thanksgivings ago, my wife and I woke up and headed to the kitchen to start preparing the meal for the relatives who were on their way, when we looked out the kitchen window into the back yard and saw a HUGE hawk standing no more than 10 feet away, working on a big pigeon it had downed. For a while we just watched it, and didn't want to start banging pots and pans for fear of scaring it off, but after an hour it was still working at the pigeon carcass, and we had watched it for a good while, so we started making Thanksgiving dinner. Didn't matter how much noise we made, that hawk kept at his meal and didn't let us disturb him. He finally took off another hour or so later, and all that was left was a remarkably circular ring of plucked pigeon feathers around a patch of bloodstained grass. I don't know how common that is out in the country, but it was the first time we'd ever had a chance to see such a thing in urban Houston.

[HiTech RedNeck]

They sound like they don't need hawks; they need cats. Big mean 25 pound tom cats.

[vin-one]

like I said, I was attacked by one of those poor excuses for a dog
As a young kid it has scared me for life

not to mention the husband was happy it happened as well
By the way I am an avid pet lover.
and a joke is a joke.

Lighten up Frances

[eastsider]

They sound like they don't need hawks; they need cats. Big mean 25 pound tom cats.

LOL. And when they're done with the rats and pigeons, I imagine I'll be pushing for bald eagles to take care of the feral cat problem : )

[yonif]

Will they mistake democrats as Rats?

[Devil_Anse]

I was walking my puppy in a park one day, and saw a hawk circling overhead. Clearly he was thinking of swooping down for the puppy. I thought to myself, go ahead and try to take this puppy, Mr. Hawk--you obviously haven't noticed the very large predator on the other end of the leash.

[Devil_Anse]

I think you're right about keeping the hawks. I think this whole incident could have been prevented if the owner had stayed nearer to the dog. If a dog is tied outside, he is helpless to flee. This isn't a problem in his own yard, maybe, but in the park, it could just as easily have been a much larger dog that came up and attacked that chihuahua.

[landerwy]

The canine and the "hond'!