[JenandSage]

I’m used to wildlife country but I haven’t experienced this on a walk yet! It made me rethink my wooly brown toque with fluffy pom-pom - maybe look like a squirrel from the top?!

 

[Skylar]

Haha. Yes you don’t want to be mistaken as dinner.

 

[Viking Queen]

Better put kevlar vests and little helmets on "the poodle kids" for their protection as well!

 

[Poodlebeguiled]

Wow! I never saw something like that either. Yeah, keep those dogs close to you. Holy smokes! :afraid: At least you have standards. I really need to watch out and keep my wee ones close when we're out and about. They would definitely make a snack for one of those big birds.

 

[Charmed]

Yes, the little ones would be the right size to make a meal. We had barn owls that lived next door to us, and they kept dropping rabbit heads on the awning of my girls' tree fort. Oh my,did those girls squeal when there was a bunny head with no body on their "roof"!

 

[JenandSage]

Wow Charmed - I would’ve been traumatized by bodyless bunnies!
We have tons of eagles too (wintering site for bald eagles) and my friend is paranoid about her little dog. Our dog walker has convinced her the eagles will snatch her up, and I guess they probably could judging by the size of salmon they grab.
I am glad I have the standards

 

[reraven123]

We had barn owls that lived next door to us, and they kept dropping rabbit heads on the awning of my girls' tree fort. Oh my,did those girls squeal when there was a bunny head with no body on their "roof"!

That must be the body that turned up in my yard! I let Zephyr out and he came back with a headless rabbit body. I didn't think he had done it himself, but couldn't figure out what else might have happened until a friend told me that owls like to tear the heads off and then come back later for the body. What a relief for me not to have to suspect Zephyr of beheading a poor bunny, and not to worry about him having eaten it. The poor owl missed out when he came back to get it, tho.

 

[asuk]

yikes! that is a new one for sure.. in my area, its beware polar bear sign. i think only milo will survive if we encounter one...lol

 

[Skylar]

yikes! that is a new one for sure.. in my area, its beware polar bear sign. i think only milo will survive if we encounter one...lol

Wow asuk, polar bears? Yikes. I had a friend who survived being mauled by a polar bear. He has huge scars down his back and was very lucky.

We have warning signs for coyotes. But I know two people who lost dogs to birds of prey. A hawk got a young puppy and an eagle got a small dog. Both were out in the backyard off leash with their owners. Pretty scary and devastatingly sad.

Those rabbit heads without a body are unpleasant surprises.

 

[lily cd re]

Wow it would sure hurt to have owl talons sink into one's scalp!


I heard once of a chihuahua being carried off out of an outdoor show ring by a hawk. The handler held on for dear life to no avail. How freaky sad.

 

[Mufar42]

Yikes! that would scare me for sure. A few years back we had s rather large owl in the area. I always hear them but figures they re just the common owl but one late afternoon there was one sitting on my fence and I would say it was about 2 ft tall, it hung around for a few days. I found out later that my neighbors cat disappeared. WE are pretty sure it was the owl that carried it off as we saw nothing...

 

[Moni]

Wow - I asked my vet when we got Poodlekid last spring - he was sooo tiny - and we have so many owls on our property. She was of the opinion that owls would not see him as prey since they go for much smaller animals usually (she said mostly mice and very rarely squirrels). She did warn me about Eagles that will attempt big prey even if they can't lift off.

 

[lily cd re]

Large birds of prey like eagles and osprey can handle 5-7 pound fish with not too much problem. We have bald eagles including the two young ones that fledged this summer and their parents. The parents stay up near the harbor adjacent to the nest (which they are already adding to) so I am not concerned about them but the youngsters wander about and have been seen close by so I always send a dog out to watch over the chickens when they are loose if I can't watch them myself.

 

[JenandSage]

yikes! that is a new one for sure.. in my area, its beware polar bear sign. i think only milo will survive if we encounter one...lol

Oh my! I just heard a story on CBC about how to live along with polar bears - was it in Churchill? Anyways, I am much more afraid of polar bears (and grizzlies) than our black bears. For the most part we coexist fine here. It’s only when people leave out bear attractants
How often to you encounter polar bears??

 

[reraven123]

So here is the sign in the dog park where I am staying in Florida!

 

[lily cd re]

Don't forget that crocs and alligators can move really fast on land.

 

[JenandSage]

So here is the sign in the dog park where I am staying in Florida!

Eek! I’m sure you are familiar with it — I would certainly be anxious there. I feel comfortable in my neck of the woods and get irritated when certain family members won’t go for a walk with me because they are afraid of bears and cougars, but I guess it’s what you’re used to...

 

[reraven123]

Eek! I’m sure you are familiar with it — I would certainly be anxious there. I feel comfortable in my neck of the woods and get irritated when certain family members won’t go for a walk with me because they are afraid of bears and cougars, but I guess it’s what you’re used to...

Not really! Zephyr and I are just visiting for a month, we are from Minnesota. I am told that the crocodile has been relocated and is not there anymore, but they relocated it once before and it came right back so nobody is really sure. We are keeping alert!

 

[MollyMuiMa]

Wow! Crazy owls? Here in San Diego people put up Owl Boxes to attract owls! They want them for rat/mouse control! People even put webcams in them so eggs/chicks can be watched!
Now hawks and coyotes are a different problem! NOBODY leaves small dogs loose in their backyards unattended anymore here!

 

[Mufar42]

No Thankyou. We have plenty alligators here. Fortunately not a usual occurrence where I live but it is not unheard of for one to wander and end up in someone's pond. My friend lives in a different subdivision in the next town (20 min) has pond behind her house and they have had to call Wildlife & fisheries 2x to remove a stray gator. People see them just floating on the water and think they a slow creatures, they are not and can move swift ly even on land.