Raptor Reminder

This is just a reminder to ALWAYS watch your dogs while they are outside. My husband was out in our back yard with Molly & Max this afternoon when he noticed the largest bald eagle that he has ever seen in a tree not 100 feet from where he stood!! We've had a LOT of snow as of late and I am wondering if the eagle has had to come into town now to look for food?? I've seen eagles flying over, but never perched so close. (houses are all around & close together...not a wooded area)

The wardens will often throw road kill on to the frozen ponds & rivers to feed the raptors in the winter....I hope they do it soon!

Thank goodness the only thing we have to contend with is the odd urban fox, would hate to have to watch every move they have too take in our own back garden.

Our neighborhood is home to many wild animals. My dh is very protective of our little furry baby. He's daddy little guy and never allows our puppy outdoors unattended. Much as I would love a fenced in yard. It's really of no use to me if an eagle, hawk, or owl are always gliding around looking for small prey to feed on.

Well, the advantages of a fenced yard wouldn't be much discounted by the presence of predators, I would think. It's a lot easier to let a dog play in a fenced yard under a watchful eye than to have to constantly keep the dog on a leash, and much a better quality of life for the dog unless it is taken daily to somewhere that is safe for it to run or given at least a 45 minute walk daily. It's a huge amount of work to have to always keep dogs on leash and watch that they never go outside off lead and never get out a front door, and to have to rely only on walks for exercise... as I know from personal experience. I'd give anything for a fenced garden myself. I'd think people grabbing an unwatched dog from a yard -- especially from the front of a house when let out to relieve itself on its own -- is an infinitely greater risk than it being taken by a wild animal though it is always wise to be watchful. I know some live in areas with coyotes and always need to exercise caution, but again, I'd think a fenced yard would actually IMPROVE security in 95% of situations with predators.

I'd love to see bald eagle in a nearby tree -- wow! -- though I can imagine, given its size, you'd definitely want to be watchful with small dogs!

We have a fenced in yard and I HAD been letting them run around in it while I was outside, but not in the fenced in area....(lots of snow to shovel here, firewood to restock, ect) BUT after dh saw the eagle so close, I think from now on I will be smack in the center of the fenced in area keeping a more watchful eye out on my babes.

A few weeks ago while I was taking the puppy out for a long walk. A large screech owl swooped down on the two of us. Needless to say his presence was massive. I've seen him many times since being here. He was larger and taller than my torso together. Let's just say my puppy was so scared he ran between my legs tangling the lead around my legs. Then we both ran for the front door like 2 scared rabbits. All the while the screecher was chasing us! I've seen most of the raptors around here lift possums, rabbits, raccoons away right in front of my eyes. Though it was amazing to watch these large bird of preys hunting. Now that I have a puppy I would be more leery of walking around my rural neck of the woods constantly watching the sky for these huge raptors.

My doggies LOVE my fenced yard because they can run around like crazy dogs and be free. I've owned dogs in apartments before, nothing wrong with it, but it's so much nicer for them to have the fenced yard.

They are not out unattended though...a friend had a pet bunny stolen by a raptor recently. And a few years ago, my now-ex-spouse was attacked by a big bird in my front yard.

My biggest fear about leaving them out there unattended is that they could be stolen by an unscrupulous person, or let free by a nosy wandering child who might open the gate. I simply put a couple of chairs in the yard where I can enjoy a cuppa while they romp.