I know what you mean about supervising our little pets outdoors. Where
I live in Miami there is a canal that runs in back of our neighborhood.
We've had gators, iguanas, ducks, possums, frogs, rats, sometimes come
into our yard. We have the back yard entirely fenced off (chain link
fence), but this doesn't stop them from coming in. My little Chihuahuas
have been confronted by possums many times, usually during summer. Not
little possums, but big ugly nasty ones. They like to run along the top
of the fence and taunt my babies. They aren't so quick to come back once
I swat them with a broom. The big black birds aren't so friendly
either. I've caught them swooping down on my dogs, or taunting them
from the trees, cackling and squawking at them. We have a lot of
wildlife here for us being in the city. But then again, this
neighborhood we live used to be their home at one time. I guess they
feel we moved in on them. Luckily we haven't had any tragedies from
them as yet. The worst that has happened was many years ago when we had
pet iguanas. We'd bring them in the back yard every day to walk around
and do their business. One day a really huge wild iguana came up from
the canal into our yard and attacked one of our pet iguanas. It was no
contest, the wild one was overpowering and much stronger. In the attack
he just about ripped off his front arm, it was hanging and bleeding. We
rushed him to the vet and amazingly they saved his arm. Sewed it back on
and in a few months it was in good shape. Not as strong, but it was
working. That was a $500 vet bill.
I have to repeat that last sentence from the previous post..
" Predator animals and predatory birds are everywhere. "
Yes.. they are.
~Rose
--- In [email protected], catdancerls@... wrote:
>
> I am so glad you feel that way Evelyn about your little girl having
> constant supervision outside. There are so many predators out there
for small
> dogs.
> Cases in point:
> I saw a program on tv last year where a little boy was outside with
his
> very small dog, it looked like a Chihuahua, when he heard a yip of
pain and
> turned to see a large bird carrying his dog off in its talons. The
family
> diligently searched for their very loved dog all that day, but to no
avail.
> The mother was so upset with herself that she had not thought to
protect
> their little dog more and it had come to such a terrible demise.
> Heartbroken, the family was feeling so sad the next day when they
heard a scratching
> at their back door and there stood their precious little dog. Only
minor
> scratches on it, they cannot imagine how their little one managed to
escape
> its captor, but so overjoyed to their dog back. It was a tearjerker.
I
> read another story where a woman let her little Maltese out one last
time for
> the evening, in a fenced yard, and a racoon killed it. So sad. And
just
> last month in January, maybe some of you saw this story, a man in
Chicago
> was walking his Chihuahua, at night, and a great horned owl swept
down and in
> a flash tried to carry his dog off. The owl drug his poor little dog
down
> the sidewalk, but the man held tight as he could to his dog's leash
and
> when the owl let go he grabbed his dog up in his arms. His Chihuahua
had to
> be treated for puncture wounds where the owl's talons sunk in and he
said
> his dog will no longer go out at night and who could blame the poor
little
> guy. And this occurred when his owner was obviously right next to his
dog.
> Once when I was watching my inside cat except for the occasional
times I
> would allow her outside in what I thought was a secure back yard,
while I
> watched from the kitchen window a large bird (we believe it was a
peregrine
> falcon after seeing a large bird days later sitting in one of our
trees,
> took pictures, and researched its identity), it swooped down,
daytime, and
> attempted to grab her but because of her weight and very furry
Persian fur, it
> was unsuccessful and I learned a very valuable lesson that day. It
was a
> shocking scene. Also, it's been reported that many small dogs are
scooped
> off of New York City balconies all the time by large predatory
birds. The
> owners go out to collect their pet and he or she has just
disappeared,
> forever. Such a painful way to lose a beloved pet.
> So many predators outside that our little dogs and cats are no match
for
> due to their small size and perhaps we should all ALWAYS be outside
with
> them, extremely close to their physical bodies, maybe even teathered
with our
> pets at all times so that no pet owner's heart is broken in this
manner or
> due to any of these scenarios. Predator animals and predatory birds
are
> everywhere.
>
>
>
> In a message dated 2/14/2011 8:25:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> evyqpixie@... writes:
>
> That said, she is never out alone, unsupervised, just in case she ever
> does find a way to get to the other side.
>
>
> Evelyn
>
