posted
...or someone who already knows the answer to this question.
My mother has small dogs and will soon be moving into a house that has a large, open backyard. This area seems to have a fair number of birds of prey, and I've heard horror stories about small dogs being picked up and taken by birds of prey. I'm looking for some way to keep birds of prey away from the dogs, and so far everything that I've turned up on google has just seemed...goofy.
I know sometimes statues or silhouettes of owls are used to keep smaller birds off places. I guess I was just thinking of something like that...anyone have any ideas?
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Cover them in flames. The birds won't get near them then.
Or, you could tie them down. If you have them tied down no dumb birds will be able to get at them. Well, they will. But they won't be able to fly off with them.
Posts: 35 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Yorkies really don't need a lot of space, right? Why not put up some kind of screening or something around a small area of the yard and let them roam free within a confined space.
Also, leaving them unsupervised for long periods is probably a bad idea anyway.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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We have Coyotes here. If there were a little dog in my yard, I would try a little bacon grease on the tail. That would take care of it.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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Your best bet is to not let them outside unsupervised. My grandparents have Shit-tzus, along with a bald eagle nest a hundred yards from their front porch. The fenced in a relatively small area in front of the house, keep the grass trimmed, and go outside when the dogs do. Birds are unlikely to try to attack if they see a person in the yard.
As an alternative, you might consider getting a larger dog. My other grandparents have a lot of acreage in an area with lots of coyotes and the occasional bear. It was dangerous to let their smaller dogs outside by themselves, and the size of the land made fencing impractical. So they got a much larger dog, and let them outside together. The larger dog scared any would-be predators, and neither the people nor the dogs were inconvenienced.
Posts: 349 | Registered: May 2003
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I live near the beach and what resturants around here do to stop birds from grabbing food is they put a grid of fishing line above the outside sitting. I don't know if that would be practical or even if it works, but its what I've heard.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I know my mom is already planning on never leaving them unsupervised, so if that's all it takes, then she's covered. I've heard a few stories about birds attempting to snatch small dogs even in the presence of their owners, though, so I was looking for some kind of visual deterrent.
The idea of having a fenced-in yard is so that she wouldn't have to tie them up, and could give them some space to run around (yorkies are rather energetic). She really can't get any more dogs (she's got three yorkies and one small black lab mutt mix, though only two yorkies are coming up with her to start). I'd hoped she was bringing the lab, because that would be very helpful, but apparently that's not an option right now.
I guess I was just hoping someone here might've heard of some stationary scarecrow-type thing. So far, though, the most workable solution is constant (vigilance!) supervision.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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