Help! Coopers Hawk tried to get one of our dogs!

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About a month or maybe a little more ago I spotted a small hawk in our backyard perched in the willow tree.

Well today Bedford (11lb Chihuahua and my husbands baby) was walking up the stairs into the house and the Coopers hawk swooped down and tried to grab him, just as my husband walked in and saw it, the hawk put on the breaks and took a hard left up and away.

I think Bedford is too big for a hawk to carry him away, but that doesn't mean the hawk couldn't have killed the little guy with one good grip of talons.

I am afraid our back yard looks like a hawk buffet from the sky. We have the pond (24' x 17') loaded with large bright colored fish and crystal clear water. The pond attracts a lot of hawk prey like garder snakes, dove, quail and robins.

The dogs love the yard and we leave the back door open on nice days so they can run in and out as they please.

We have 4 dogs, 3 Chihuahua's, 2 or them are 11lbs and 1 is about 9lbs and a Corgi-Chi mix who is about 15 lbs.

Any good ideas on things we can do to scare the hawk away?

My husband is beside himself over this.
This is Bedford my husbands side kick.
DSCN9409.JPG
 

addy1

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We have lots of hawks, our little girl , 5 lbs, is never outside without us.
When I lived in the west, eagles, owls, hawks were a issue with my pups, they too, were not allowed out unless we were with them. I did lose one pup to a coyote, my late husband let her out in the yard by herself, the coyote jumped off the 6 foot wall and took her.

I don't know of any way to stop them without netting your yard.
 
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@pecan , I had a friend near us who lost her Chihuahua. She searched the fields near her house and found him, dead. She took him to her vet, who said the damage was caused by a hawk :(

I have a 4 lb poodle and years ago an owl swooped down, just a few feet from us, then turned away as one of the guests jumped up! I take no chances with my tiny baby. I'm so relieved your baby wasn't harmed....as you say, they may not be able to take flight, but their talons are deadly !
 
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As others have said there are no deterrences. Humans have moved into their habitats and they are just reminding us that they are still there and aren't planning on going anywhere else anytime soon.

I find it odd because we live in the center of a valley populated by 1.3 million people. We aren't rural by any means. We aren't in a new area on the outskirts of a city. We are dead center in the old part of town.

I had never even seen a bird of prey near house in 9 years until I spotted this Coopers hawk on our willow tree about a month or more ago. And now this.
 
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We have red tailed hawks and they return each Spring to build a large nest in our neighbor's tree. There is an organization that bands and weighs them, for a study. The population of hawks has increased, as I think the off spring stay in the vicinity once they grow up.
 
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They are very territorial. Once they establish a hunting ground, they don't move. I think you've gotten great advice - keep one eye to the sky when the dogs are out.
 
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We have Red Tail and Cooper's hawks -- and they won't even bother with squirrels!!!! I think there are too many chipmunks and smaller, easier prey to catch. I wish we could trade your hawk for ours. They would leave your puppies alone!
 

Meyer Jordan

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I find it odd because we live in the center of a valley populated by 1.3 million people. We aren't rural by any means. We aren't in a new area on the outskirts of a city. We are dead center in the old part of town.

I had never even seen a bird of prey near house in 9 years until I spotted this Coopers hawk on our willow tree about a month or more ago. And now this.

In those 9 years, how much natural habitat has been lost to urban crawl? This is not like the old days when as humans moved in animals moved on to other suitable habitat. Suitable habitat for many specie, especially predators, is becoming very rare. As a result, they are just staying put and altering their diet somewhat. Raptors are quite common in many of the big metropolitan areas and actually nest in the taller buildings.
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2014-5-september-october/green-life/when-urban-raptors-attack
 

sissy

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Do you think he is stalking your fish .The movement attracted him maybe .I know owls around here go for movement .I saw one swoop down and grab a baby bunny .That is the main reason I was so upset when king arthur passed away he was my chihuahuas protector .He would always go into the back yard first and the chi.'s would wait for him to give the all clear .I never worried when he was around .Now I worry all the time .I have seen a few foxes lately
 

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