File photo.
A dog that wandered away from a Falls Township home was killed by another animal.
6abc reported Monday that the Chihuahua owned by Louis Moschitti, who lives in the Fairless Hills section of the township, wandered away from the home and did not return last week. Several days later, Bruno was found dead with puncture wounds.
Advertisements
The TV station reported the family pet, Bruno, was determined by authorities to have died as the result of an attack involving a bird of prey.
“We can’t say if it was a hawk or an owl, but that little six-pound dog was probably picked up by a bird and either dropped or injured enough that it killed it,” Bucks County SPCA Officer Nikki Thompson told 6abc.
While the odds of a bird of prey taking your pet are slim, it does happen across the country and has made headlines in the past.
Advertisements
Texas A&M’s Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences program advises pet owners to stay outside with their pet to keep away predators.
“Even in local outlying neighborhoods, hawks, coyotes, and other predators can harm pets,” said Dr. Stacy Eckman, lecturer at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “Stay away from nesting predators such as owls and hawks if you know where their nests are and keep your pet’s area clean and free of debris or plant material that predators can hide in.”
Advertisements
Eckman advised pet owners to make loud noises and use threatening body language to scare away and deter predators that they see while with their pet.
“If your pet is attacked while walking, seek medical care immediately. Even if there are no obvious wounds on your pet, your veterinarian will perform a thorough exam to find any unnoticed injuries and vaccinate them for rabies,” Eckman added.
Advertisements
