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A dog with nine lives?
#1
This little dog is very lucky to be alive. He was snatched by a Red Tailed Hawk. His owners cries might have caused the hawk to drop him. Whatever the reason he survived.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pets/pet-tal...1501170005

This does bring up the issue of pets and wildlife. There have been losses lately. Coyotes and Hawks can kill dogs and cats. We need to use some caution. Letting a dog out alone at night in a coyote area is very dangerous.
During the day you need to watch for hawks if your pet is small.
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Catherine

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#2
Wow! Rocky is so lucky. The woman screaming might have helped a lot, to frighten the hawk. I have often wondered about small pets and hawks... as the animal doesn't often see danger coming from above. Any animal which is rabbit-sized or smaller could be prey.
Where I live we have Buzzards and they are quite large birds. They could definitely be a danger to small cats and kittens, and could probably take a very small dog.

Thank goodness everything worked out in the end. Unfortunately it's going to make them scared of taking their dog out.
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#3
People should be scared or at least cautious. There are dangers around us. We watch are pets around traffic. Why wouldn't we watch for hawks and coyotes. A dog wouldn't know to watch, but a rabbit would have known. A hamster would have been careful. Small dogs are still descended from a larger predator ancestor so they just don't have the instinct to watch the sky.

Rocky is one lucky dog.
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Catherine

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#4
Yes Coyotes are a great danger to domesticated animals, and could even be dangerous for larger dogs especially if there was a group of coyotes. You're right; dogs, being predator types, are not usually on-guard for something coming to get them. They're not really geared up for that. Cats sense they are 'in the middle' when it comes to being both predator and prey, and are more wary.

I suppose the safest thing to do is take the little dogs for walks on leads. But it is still tricky, as that little dog was taken in his own back garden!
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#5
I think the owners need to watch the sky. This time of year there is no tree cover to protect them, so a hawk would see them from a long way off.

Maybe small pets could wear a special coat that would scare a hawk off.

Coyotes are nocturnal. After dark people should not go far from the house and the dog should be on a short lead, if they are in a coyote area. These are simple precautions. We look before we cross the street. Why wouldn't we watch the sky or be careful of the woods and ravines after dark.
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Catherine

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