US

Hawks Terrorize Small Dogs in Massachusetts Town

WHDH-TV:

LUNENBURG, Mass. — Family pets are under attack in the town of Lunenburg. Small dog owners are dealing with a danger above. Two dogs suffered serious injuries, and Animal Control Officers say hawks are to blame.

“She was torn up so badly that we were just devastated,” said Tom Handwerker.

Molly, a 22-month-old Pomeranian had to get 54 stitches – and that’s just in her back.

Molly is lucky to be alive after she was picked up by a vicious predator that mistook her for easy prey.

“Its talon marks where…it ripped…where she fell,” said Tom Handwerker.


Comments (98)

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  • brokenwolf
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:08pm

    have had haws kill my chickens…but they stay away from my dogs,guess they dont like huskie…coyotes dont either

    Report Post »  
  • ilovetheusa1
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:35pm

    as soon as animals and plants get their rights, the Pomeranian should be able to lawyer up and sue the Hawk,

    Report Post »  
  • D0ntTread0nMe
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:35pm

    This is why my dog is never smaller than a football.
    http://www.mythoughtfromthemiddle.blogspot.com

    Report Post » D0ntTread0nMe  
  • miles from nowhere
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:01pm

    CAPTAIN CRUNCH The asians love cats and dogs,you will find there recipes online overseas. What may seem a little more disturbing to you is the fact that Americans have enjoyed pets for awhile now at restraunts that are asian owned. Some of the dishes have small birds like robins and other animals that just might scare you, so will not mention.

    Report Post »  
  • miles from nowhere
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:49pm

    Drones have gone to a new level, animal overpopulation control has gone wild.

    Report Post »  
  • David, the Constitutional Libertarian
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:19pm

    It was NOT terrorizing the dang dog. GEEZ and WHIZ.

    The hawk was hungry and looking for a snack. That is the animal kingdom folks.

    Report Post » David, the Constitutional Libertarian  
  • mygunsweetness
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:55pm

    You treat them like you treat yotes,snakes,bob cats,you have the right to protect your calf’s,chickens,dogs,cat’s,kill them,they’re not endangered anymore,com on man

    Report Post »  
  • swampbuck
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:41pm

    RedTailed Hawks are migrating back north now.. They are big hawks a small dog is very lucky to get away..

    Report Post » swampbuck  
    • David, the Constitutional Libertarian
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:21pm

      The last project I was supposed to do in Cali was held up for 8 months due to a Red Tail hawk nest.

      Now I hear a 3″ reptile is going to shutdown everything in Texas now. Don’t you love environmental craziness?

      Report Post » David, the Constitutional Libertarian  
    • David, the Constitutional Libertarian
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 7:39pm

      Reply to the Ancient,

      Well it is a bigger story than what I said. The land had originally been planned for development by a neighbor there. But they were turned down. Then the company I worked for submitted a plan and was approved. The neighbor did everything in her power to obstruct the project. It was her contacting the California envirowackos about the hawk that caused the delay.

      I ended up sitting in a trailer and watching three people work for 4 months that was the last straw. I am a worker not a slacker so I left. I miss supervising projects rutting 200-300 people. Keeps the mind flowing so to speak.

      Oh well, I guess maybe in a couple years the US will start building again and I can get back to work.

      Report Post » David, the Constitutional Libertarian  
  • nomercy63
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:39pm

    I think soon we will all be eating dogs and cats and whatever we can find

    Report Post »  
    • Captain Crunch
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:32pm

      Does anyone have a recipe for dog or cat? Neighborhood pets are going to be the first to be served when food gets scarce. Just like the hawks….people eat things when they get hungry.

      Report Post »  
    • @ Coyote2
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 10:55pm

      Remember a few years ago in Minnesota where a colony of Hmongs moved in and the pets in the small neighborhoods started to disappear? The officials soon found out where the pets were going. I have nothing against someone having a dog for a pet, however when that “pet” is allowed to run wild in the neighborhood digging, peeing and crapping in my yard, they had better take care of the “pet” or I will!!!
      They tell me that D-con works for more then mice.

      Report Post »  
  • trooper
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:26pm

    Maybe they are muslime birds attacking from the air, they have been known to do such things.

    Report Post »  
    • brokenwolf
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:59pm

      did the hawk have a female hawk in a burka 6 steps behind him

      Report Post »  
  • the_ancient
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:24pm

    A Dog is on the very high end of that a Hawk should be targeting, and should not be considered “normal” this may point to a over population of Hawks in that area and they probably need to be culled

    Report Post » the_ancient  
    • peaceandlove
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:36am

      This is a ridiculous comment, and you should not act on this. Hunting hawks is Illegal! What is your information. I would like to have your home searched for other victims of this irrational violence! They should put people like you on a list..

      Report Post »  
    • TheGreyPiper
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 12:39pm

      Haha, good one peacey! Always love the clowning.

      Report Post » TheGreyPiper  
    • Hawker
      Posted on May 2, 2011 at 6:49pm

      Don’t try and cul by killing they are a federal protected with a very large fine .
      I am a falconer and have had a few Redtail Hawks that would attact any dog any size, why I do not know but any small dog should not be let out alone .

      Report Post » Hawker  
  • simple thought
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:23pm

    keep the dog on a leash and the problem is solved…….
    hawks will not attack if a human is close…….
    a leash would keep the human close………
    dont blame the hawk for doing its natural thing……it eats small prey.

    Report Post »  
  • trooper
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:22pm

    Little dogs are cute for a while, I have a Australian Blue Heeler, a real dog, I don’t worry about birds hurting my dog , he would jump six feet in the air to get to them first.

    Report Post »  
    • BurntHills
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:16pm

      this is the year for it. hate to tell ya, we have 3 Blue Heelers and our boy was walking along minding his own beeswax not 100 ft ahead of us and the biggest Redtail hawk we’d ever seen came straight down -silently- and nailed him square on the back. we yelled “DANGER” (our dogs know that signal) just 1 nanosecond too late. BUT. Dog is fine, tho had talon wounds. the hawk is not fine.

      BurntHills  
    • teahugger
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:27pm

      I have an Australian blue heeler too…birds make her nuts! She wants one REAL bad!

      Report Post » teahugger  
  • Dudley Do-Right
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:18pm

    I’m not too far from Lunenburg and today I saw 8 Hawks in a group all flying over my house and neighborhood. It‘s the first time I’ve seen that many all together like that.

    Report Post »  
  • Stehekin912
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:18pm

    Hawks are not “vicious”. They are what they are, and this is nesting season, when they more aggressively protect their territory and look for food for their chicks. To the hawk, the small dog was food. The hawk has no other frame of reference.

    Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have alot of raptors, from Bald Eagles to Red-tailed Hawks to accipiters and various falcons (we also have coyotes, mountain lions and bears). We take precautions to protect our pets (or companion animals or whatever the right term is) from these when the pets are out, especially during the wildlife breeding/baby raising seasons when wild animals are more aggressive and more likely to venture into areas inhabited by humans to find food for their babies. Sorry but to a hawk Fluffy and Fido look like lunch.

    It is traumatic when these things happen even when we know the possibility exists. I hope it never happens to our pets. I am sorry for the dog and the owners. I hope the dog heals completely. I hope more owners (carers or whatever the right term is) educate themselves about the wildlife in their areas and take appropriate precautions for their beloved companion animals, remembering that wildlife does not have a choice. Humans do.

    Report Post »  
    • BetterDays
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:28pm

      Let me guess, Puget Sound, King County?

      Report Post »  
    • Stehekin912
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:30pm

      Hi Betterdays. Curious why you would think that.

      Report Post »  
    • razeus1
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 2:11pm

      Nah, I live in N. Cal and we have the same wildlife.
      Lions, tigers and bears….oh my! ( sorry had to say it ;)) LOL! )

      Report Post » razeus1  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:17pm

    Wonder what the dog thought?

    Report Post »  
  • APatriotFirst
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:15pm

    Anyone follow the Decorah Eagles and eaglets?

    http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

    Report Post »  
  • LiveNation
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:10pm

    Hawks just making a living.

    Report Post »  
  • APatriotFirst
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:03pm

    Had a Hawk try to take our little mixed breed, BooBoo, she probably weighs 5 pounds. Happily our other dog, Lacey, Lab defended her little friend.

    Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:51pm

      Indeed it was good for the lab to be there, that is probably the only thing stopping the hawk during the attack.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • APatriotFirst
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:37pm

      Was kind of comical. Little BooBoo ducks down when Hawk flew in and big Lacey jumps at Hawk. Hawk changes course and goes almost straight up in air with a big a$$ dog jumping at it. And I am standing there saying :what the he11 was that?”

      Report Post »  
  • ying
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:02pm

    This has been happened anywhere there are large birds. In the northwest, you have to watch for eagles stealing small pets. This is nothing new.

    Report Post » ying  
  • Frogginit
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:01pm

    Hawks got to eat too. A nice Pomeranian would feed a family of 4 for days.

    Report Post » Frogginit  
    • KenInIL
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:29am

      The hawk was probably only gong to show the dog its babies!! – and how they love to eat dog for food!

      Report Post »  
  • Elena2010
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 7:59pm

    Wait until the Progressives ban hawks fm doing what hawks do. They are dangerous, you know LOL

    Report Post » Elena2010  
    • LetUsReason
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:43pm

      No more raptors of any kind, period! Way too unpredictable! We’ll replace them all with the more doggy-friendly chickadees.

      Report Post »  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 7:59pm

    I love it, JUNGLE! Maybe you could write a few for the Correspondence dinner.

    Nice!

    Report Post »  
  • jungle J
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 7:57pm

    That is what God thinks of small dogs…cats are next and then………………

    Report Post »  
    • SKOAL-BROTHER {GALLEY OF CATFISH}
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:41pm

      and then, cheesy hamsters!

      Report Post » MONICNE  
    • Captain Crunch
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:22pm

      @jungleJ
      Obama next???? We can only hope.

      Report Post »  
    • Bearfoot
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:45pm

      Those silly little dogs keep offering themselves up to the Hawk Raptors.

      Coyotes, wolves, and mountain lions also are looking for little dog and cats.

      Bears, on the other hand are nice and well behaved. :-)

      Report Post » Bearfoot  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on April 30, 2011 at 7:52pm

    Dang, keep your dogs in the house maybe?

    Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:04pm

      To the hawks, any aniamil, wheather a cat, dog or such that is about the size of a decent rabbit is considered fair game. Hawks are predatory birds, and in this case, the domesticated pets of the town are just an easier dinner to get to.

      There are cases of owls doing the same as well.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:13pm

      When my Daughter was around 4, we were watching a baby Robin hop across the lawn with its mother close behind, when all of a sudden a Hawk dropped out of a pine tree and garbed the baby Robin and flew off with it. My daughter said “ daddy what was that ” and i simply said .. well…. that’s life :-(

      Report Post »  
    • SKOAL-BROTHER {GALLEY OF CATFISH}
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:14pm

      Please bless les Chihuahuas who are given up to the predators of the air, and protect those winged souls from feeling our Buckshot or other unnatural modes of earthly demise!

      Report Post » MONICNE  
    • BetterDays
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:26pm

      Wanted Hawks for hunting easy prey in distant locals.
      Job description : hawks must be willing to travel to an inner city infected with liberal doses of uncouth prey and socialist vermin. Must have intestinal fortitude as they prey is poisonous to most life forms when heard, seen, or given control. HAWKS must be diligent and will not be rewarded until all progressive creeping things are eradicated.
      Location Washington DC

      Report Post »  
    • ExpertShot
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:32pm

      That’s one thing us, in the rural areas of the South, know: don’t allow small dogs or cats outside by themselves in the daytime or at night (owls will do the same thing with a small animal). We have 2-3 hawks that routinely patrol looking for food in my neighborhood.

      Report Post » ExpertShot  
    • Okie from Muskogee
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:42pm

      Hawks are amazing and any animal scurrying along is open game especially some city dog….

      Gazing off the porch over the front 20 I see them quite often….They are quite the fan of my chickens I let run…Occasionally I‘ll see them swoop down like a bullet from heaven only to turn back up to the sky with feathers flying and a chicken in it’s tines… My free ranging chickens have learned and become quite aware of the shadows above….

      Report Post » Okie from Muskogee  
    • CatB
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:00pm

      I only take my small dog out on leash .. too dangerous .. we have not only hawks but eagles in the neighborhood (not to mention the two unaltered pit bulls across the street). They will still attack small dogs .. but at least you might be able to fight them off ….

      Report Post »  
    • My Sacred Honor
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:14pm

      i was in Tallahassee when i had a great hawk experience. I was on a side road, driving, and was looking both ways to check for traffic when i saw a hawk drop down on a pigeon. Feathers flew everywhere but the pigeon escaped. After a few seconds of looking around in shocked dismay, the hawk took wing and flew so close over the roof of my car that I could have reached up and touched it as it passed.
      My reation was the same as a previous poster’s answer to his 4-year-old daughter….”that’s life”.

      Report Post » My Sacred Honor  
    • Deb C
      Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:41pm

      Dang Tron…do your dogs poop in the house ? Maybe not

      Report Post » Deb C  
    • Rational Man
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 12:02am

      Hawks gotta eat too!
      I know because of Obama and the Dems, I’m not eating as good as I used too. Looks like the hawks aren’t either!
      I have to eat Spam instead of steak and the hawks have to eat dog instead of rabbit………
      So much for life getting better under Obama!

      Report Post » Rational Man  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 12:39am

      @Blazers here:

      Seen a Perigrin Falcon snag a pigeon once, go to ground and have lunch about 20 ft from me; it was fascinating watching one of these predators from close up.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Independent Tess
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:27am

      Some years ago I clipped and kept a newspaper story about a woman who had a tug of war with a hawk who tried to carry off her chihuahua that she was walking on a leash (I had a chihuahua at the time). She won, and slammed the hawk into the ground, but was then charged and fined for hurting a protected species.

      Report Post » Independent Tess  
    • brianhks
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:34am

      People shouldn’t let their little dogs wonder around alone. Hmmm, I have some I have some neighbors that like to let their little dogs wonder into my yard for a potty break – I wonder where I can get some birds of prey? I’ll even build them a nice nest on top of my garage.

      Report Post »  
    • My Sacred Honor
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:53am

      I reckon my 3 120lb+ Akitas are safe from bird preditors…..
      But under Bush, they would have been taken with impudence from these evil capitalist birds with orders from that satanist Dick Cheney, and because they were hungrey, and could have sold the uneaten meat to the masses, the hawks would have then taken my dogs and had their way with them!

      Capitalist pig falcons….

      Report Post » My Sacred Honor  
    • ManThong
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 2:51am

      Nothing a little doggie suit of armor and lead paw booties couldn’t fix.

      Report Post » ManThong  
    • Sheepdog911
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 9:36am

      Next time, get a real dog, like a Great Pyrenees, not a snack dog, and you won’t have to worry about birds, unless pterodactyls suddenly make a come back from the extinct list.

      Report Post » Sheepdog911  
    • grandma7
      Posted on May 1, 2011 at 8:46pm

      My mini dachsy has had hawks and owls after her. We never allow her out without us. She’s 9 pounds. If we put her on the lawn while hawks are circling, and they circle downwards. We can’t take any chances. It’s become a serious problem. Never leave a puppy out – especially a small dog pup. Annie looks like the squirrels in our area.

      Report Post »  
    • banjarmon
      Posted on May 2, 2011 at 11:43pm

      I bet the hawks had a small fire ready to cook the Hot Dog and all the fixings to make a good meal.

      Report Post » banjarmon  
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