Teen fights off hawk after it tries to eat her puppy

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By VT

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People will literally do anything for their pets. Whether that means paying ludicrous veterinary bills, or in some cases, altering their home to make it animal-friendly. Seriously, was it just me who was floored by the woman who altered her bed so that some of her ninety adopted pets could sleep with her?!

However, one predicament which few animal owners find themselves is having to fight another animal in a bid to save their beloved pet.

While dogs brawl in parks and cats frequently get into... well, catfights, at least the odds there are sort of even - and the assailants are expected. The last thing any dog owner would expect trying to nab their pooch is a hawk, but that's exactly what happened to Las Vegas resident 15-year-old Cecilia Celis.

This is the dramatic moment she fought the bird of prey as it tried to snatch her Yorkshire terrier: 

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Tokh9k1Z-sKUnNGKf.mp4||Tokh9k1Z]]

When Cecilia realized that her 2lb puppy was being attacked by the red-tailed hawk, her first reaction was to shout at the animal in the hope that it would abandon its prey.

But when this was to no avail, she grabbed the nearest thing to her, a cushion, and used it to hit the bird. Incredibly, it took three strong hits before the hawk finally abandoned its pursuit of the stricken terrier.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: KVVU-TV]]

While this might sound like an isolated incident, birds of prey have been known to snatch and kill dogs and other small pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. According to Spruce Pets, the birds of prey that are most likely to attack a small animal are great horned owls, northern goshawks and, as was the case in this incident, red-tailed hawks.

Thankfully, because it's more common than people realize, there's a lot of advice out there about how to prevent it. If there are birds of prey in your area, make sure you closely supervise your small animals when they're outside, don't feed them outdoors, either, as while eating they are distracted and therefore an easy target. Another tip recommended by Spruce Pets is refraining from feeding other small birds, which could entice the larger birds of prey into your garden.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Cecilia's puppy emerged relatively unharmed from the attack - save a few talon punctures. As for the hawk? Well, it certainly had its feathers ruffled!

Teen fights off hawk after it tries to eat her puppy

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

People will literally do anything for their pets. Whether that means paying ludicrous veterinary bills, or in some cases, altering their home to make it animal-friendly. Seriously, was it just me who was floored by the woman who altered her bed so that some of her ninety adopted pets could sleep with her?!

However, one predicament which few animal owners find themselves is having to fight another animal in a bid to save their beloved pet.

While dogs brawl in parks and cats frequently get into... well, catfights, at least the odds there are sort of even - and the assailants are expected. The last thing any dog owner would expect trying to nab their pooch is a hawk, but that's exactly what happened to Las Vegas resident 15-year-old Cecilia Celis.

This is the dramatic moment she fought the bird of prey as it tried to snatch her Yorkshire terrier: 

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Tokh9k1Z-sKUnNGKf.mp4||Tokh9k1Z]]

When Cecilia realized that her 2lb puppy was being attacked by the red-tailed hawk, her first reaction was to shout at the animal in the hope that it would abandon its prey.

But when this was to no avail, she grabbed the nearest thing to her, a cushion, and used it to hit the bird. Incredibly, it took three strong hits before the hawk finally abandoned its pursuit of the stricken terrier.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: KVVU-TV]]

While this might sound like an isolated incident, birds of prey have been known to snatch and kill dogs and other small pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. According to Spruce Pets, the birds of prey that are most likely to attack a small animal are great horned owls, northern goshawks and, as was the case in this incident, red-tailed hawks.

Thankfully, because it's more common than people realize, there's a lot of advice out there about how to prevent it. If there are birds of prey in your area, make sure you closely supervise your small animals when they're outside, don't feed them outdoors, either, as while eating they are distracted and therefore an easy target. Another tip recommended by Spruce Pets is refraining from feeding other small birds, which could entice the larger birds of prey into your garden.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Cecilia's puppy emerged relatively unharmed from the attack - save a few talon punctures. As for the hawk? Well, it certainly had its feathers ruffled!