no quero molly

December 5, 2007 10:14 AM

My mom inherited a Chihuahua. She lives in rural Missouri. Owls and Hawks try to eat it. How can we stop them?

It is mostly an indoor dog, but it has to poop sometime (and we're of the opinion that all dogs should get to run around outside and be dogs from time to time). Usually my mom keeps an eye on it when it is outside, but the birds and owls can swoop in pretty quickly. Nothing short of a rifle seems to deter them.

Is there a device, chemical, scheme or technique that can be applied here?

The Chihuahua's name is Molly.

posted by jeffamaphone to pets & animals (26 comments total)

I don't think there is, and using a rifle on most of these birds is illegal.
You may want to have a dog run built if you want to let the bugger out alone.
posted by edgeways at 10:21 AM on December 5, 2007

This is one of the problems with letting pets outside: The food chain happens.

If you aren't going to stop leaving it outside on its own, at least put it in a run -- and cover the top with chain-link. Birds of prey might still want it, but they won't be able to get it.
posted by booksandlibretti at 10:21 AM on December 5, 2007

To be clear--it's never alone outside. Just, you know, my mom is only so fast these days.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:23 AM on December 5, 2007

FWIW owls and most hawks eat mice and or insects. Some of the larger ones will take down a sparrow or pigeon (or similarly sized bird), Bald Eagles eat fish... Maybe they are just curious or trying to protect a nesting area.
As to what you can do, Put the dog on a dog run. If a bird ever did try to take poochie the bird would drop him when it met the added resistance of the leash. Poochie would only have a few talon punctures (and an incredible story to tell)
posted by Gungho at 10:24 AM on December 5, 2007

Could she keep it close to her side by walking it on a leash? You may be of the opinion that dogs should get to run around, but the hawks are of the opinion that they should get to eat them when they do! Or maybe you could disguise Molly as a skunk.
posted by iconomy at 10:31 AM on December 5, 2007 [2 favorites]

You might try some bird netting. I would definitely go the heavy-duty route if you are trying to dissuade raptors.
posted by TedW at 10:33 AM on December 5, 2007

I forgot to link: bird netting
posted by TedW at 10:34 AM on December 5, 2007

I've seen some areas that use wires run across the "roof" of an area that acts like bird netting, but is a bit less visible.
posted by GuyZero at 10:37 AM on December 5, 2007

Would a brightly-colored dog sweater or harness deter them at all? I imagine a neon Molly would be more confusing and possibly less appetizing than a dog-colored Molly.

Otherwise, seconding the suggestions for netting or a dog run.
posted by bassjump at 10:43 AM on December 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

A large hawk or owl would certainly be interested in something the size of a Chihuahua. There was a falconry bird - I think it was a Harris' hawk - a few years ago (it was being used to keep pigeons out of...Bryant Park, maybe, in NYC) that , uh, accidentally scooped up someone's small dog. The dog was unharmed, but the use of falconry birds as pigeon control was ended.

Anyway. Don't shoot them - it's illegal, and anyway it won't stop some other raptor from trying to take the dog. A dog run sounds like the best idea, if your mom can't keep close enough to the dog to discourage fly-bys. Be careful about using netting - if the hawk can't see it, and gets caught in it, again, probably illegal, and boy you don't want to tangle with those talons and beaks.
posted by rtha at 10:45 AM on December 5, 2007

Hawks, owls and coyotes will definitely snatch up a tiny dog and eat it if they have the opportunity. I've hear that they will even attack dogs that are on leashes. I've also watched hawks take down adult squirrels and a group of owls rip apart a fairly large bird.

I agree with the other posters that a small chain link, covered dog run might be the way to go.
posted by pluckysparrow at 10:45 AM on December 5, 2007

Yeah, it sounds like leash and/or dog-runs are the safest routes to go. Really I was hoping there would be some brilliant scheme for making a small, yard-sized area near the house safe without having to dedicate it completely to dog run. Obviously there is no practical way to give it free reign over 40 acres.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:50 AM on December 5, 2007

I'm not a biologist (or pluckysparrow, above), but even a small Chihuahua seems awfully big prey for anything smaller than an eagle. Hawks and owls dont typically eat stuff that big - as Gungho said. Coyotes (or foxes or bobcats etc) on the other hand.... that's good eatin' for them. I'd be more concerned about those predators.
posted by elendil71 at 10:51 AM on December 5, 2007

There has been at least one document Owl attack. And hawks have been sighted. I'm not sure on the details of the exact types... I'm not on site.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:52 AM on December 5, 2007

would a scarecrow help?

or, try putting your taco bell dog in a bright dog sweater with flashing LED pins attached on the back (you can find these at dollar stores, shaped like tacky little christmas trees and stuff). those birds probably wouldn't attack a christmas robot chihuahua, now would they?
posted by twistofrhyme at 10:59 AM on December 5, 2007 [8 favorites]

I was actually thinking she might rig a flicker tape flag to it's collar, but that wouldn't work at night. I had not considered going full-on ROBODOG.
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:06 AM on December 5, 2007

Contact the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis. They are an excellent, amazing organization with very knowledgable people. They should be able to give you advice on deterring raptors.
posted by Ostara at 11:13 AM on December 5, 2007

Maybe you could get some of those scare owls and place them around the yard. The owls might think they have competition and stay away.

FYI, I just pulled that idea out of my ass so I don't know if it's actually one that would work.
posted by miss lynnster at 11:14 AM on December 5, 2007

If a bird ever did try to take poochie the bird would drop him when it met the added resistance of the leash. Poochie would only have a few talon punctures

At the bottom of a hawk's stoop, it could be going over 100 mph. When a 3-pound bird hits a, what, 10-pound dog at 100 mph, that dog is going to be very unhappy -- and that's just in terms of blunt force, without even taking into account what the sharp talons will do with that momentum behind them.

A leash is a good idea for a lot of reasons (for one thing, I doubt any birds of prey are going to be interested if a human's only leash-distance away), but "the bird will drop him and he'll be fine" is not a good idea.

A red-tailed hawk killed my neighbor's Chihuahua, which had been left tied up outside. The hawk had to dine in rather than get the take-out he'd planned, but he didn't seem too unhappy about it.
posted by booksandlibretti at 11:30 AM on December 5, 2007

but even a small Chihuahua seems awfully big prey for anything smaller than an eagle.

...And here's the story about the Harris' hawk taking a Chihuahua in Bryant Park. (the bird pictured, btw, is a peregrine falcon, not a Harris' hawk). They're not huge - wingspan is about 3 feet, and they weigh less than 3 pounds. A golden eagle, by contrast, has a wingspan of about 7 feet and weighs up to 15 pounds - they can and do hunt (small) deer.

I remember going for a walk once with some friends who had a small dog. We were in an area with a high concentration of bald eagles - they were all over the place. Balds are primarily fish-eaters, but they'll hunt for mammals too. We kept the dog leashed, and close.
posted by rtha at 11:38 AM on December 5, 2007

These idea are rather low-tech, but might be useful while you're waiting for the higher-tech solutions to be implemented.

Can your Mom scream really loud? It might startle the bird into veering off or dropping the dog. An air horn would save on vocal cord wear and tear. Also, throwing rocks at the bird might deter it.

Or you could get a big old mean tom cat (with all original equipment) to hang out while the dog's out. Of course, the cat might take a notion to go after the dog. YMMV.
posted by Crabby Appleton at 1:05 PM on December 5, 2007

get a collar of jingle bells to put around her neck when she goes outside (that way she won't drive momma bonkers when she's running around inside). the jingling as the puppy moves around might deter or at least confuse any predators.
posted by thinkingwoman at 1:51 PM on December 5, 2007

of course, put the collar on the dog, not your mom.
posted by thinkingwoman at 1:51 PM on December 5, 2007

I know spiked collars are to help smaller dogs not just look tough, but be uncomfortable for other dogs to munch about the head and neck. I wonder if you couldn't find a dog suit that had spikes all over it. I suppose it would start to look like a chihuahua from a Madonna video, though.
posted by ill3 at 4:08 PM on December 5, 2007

There's this product, which is intended for cats but should suit a small dog just fine. They are easy to set up, sorta like putting up a croquet wicket. The downside is the entire run is encased in netting, even the bottom, so poop cleanup will be complicated.
posted by jamaro at 9:26 AM on December 6, 2007

At the bottom of a hawk's stoop, it could be going over 100 mph. When a 3-pound bird hits a, what, 10-pound dog at 100 mph, that dog is going to be very unhappy -- and that's just in terms of blunt force, without even taking into account what the sharp talons will do with that momentum behind them.

I've banded hawks (Falcons too) and the way we do it is dangle a bird on a string; the dove is wearing a vest attached to a string. We pull the string, the dove flaps, attracts raptor... Anyway in most cases the falcon/hawk will invariably pull up at the last second and attempt to land on the bird rather than streak in and swoop away. The inflight stoop is used to disable prey in flight, and make it easier to take the prey down.
posted by Gungho at 9:48 AM on December 6, 2007