The headline caught my attention- “Hawk Snatches Family Dogs.” It wasn’t a sensationalized headline either. Hawks will and do grab small mammals. In this particular story (click on above link to see video), two family dogs were snatched away by a hawk within two weeks of each other. Fortunately and not quite sure how, the one dog, Marley, a 2 yr. old Pomerian got away but not without some serious wounds as shown in the video. The other dog who lived within two blocks of Marley was also taken by a hawk. Not sure of the outcome of that dog.
I see hawks flying around my home waiting to pounce on other birds, mostly doves. And when they do, all that remains are pile of feathers. Even though this is what hawks do, it is unnerving to see one flying through the air with an animal clutched in its claws.
Several years ago, I took care of a small, ugly duckling that grew into a beautiful pekin duck similar to one pictured here. Snowy was very much attached to me (as I was to him as well!) and followed me everywhere. He had imprinted himself to me. He walked with me just as my dogs did outside.
One day I was outside with Shadow, Jazz and Snowy when all of a sudden I see this duck waddling quickly over to me and plopped himself in my lap. Snowy with his head cocked to the sky kept looking toward it. I’m looking at him and wondering what was wrong. Well, I soon found out. A red-tailed hawk was circling around us and Snowy was his target. Even though Snowy was not raised by his mother, his natural instincts were intact. He wanted me to protect him and I did. Snowy was safe with me. But that hawk wanted him.
Hawks will grab small animals. Depending on the type of hawk, some have the capacity to clutch a much larger animal and drop it to its death. As I said, hawks grabbing dogs, especially small ones, is not uncommon. Protect your small pets when outside. Believe me, it can and does happen! As the animal control officer stated, stay with your pet, especially if it weighs less than 10 pounds. But read on, even if your pet weighs more than that.
Can a raptor carry away/eat my pet?Raptors hunt a variety of prey, including rodents, birds, rabbits, snakes, and insects. And yes, large raptors, such as Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls, can indeed kill a small pet. We have received dozens of inquiries about 6-pound dogs, 10 pound dogs, 10½ pound dogs, etc., all the way up to a 60 pound dog. There is no specific cut-off weight at which your pet’s safety is guaranteed. If the size of your dog or cat is similar to or not much larger than naturally occurring raptor prey, there is a risk.
If you are concerned about your dog or cat, the best advice we can give you is to keep your pet indoors or supervise them closely outdoors.