You wouldn't think you would have to worry about your dog being attacked from above, but that's exactly what happened to Tony and Janette Buonaito's pet Chihuahua on Sunday.
While the dog was in the Buonaiuto's backyard, a red-tailed hawk swooped down and tried to grab the 3.5-pound dog for lunch, the Danbury News Times reported.
Janette Buonaiuto says she saw the whole thing happen and ran to her dog's rescue.
"I scared it. The dog was yelping and it didn't get a good grip,'' she told the paper.
The hawk flew away, but Buonoaiuto says her Chihuahua was scratched by the bird's big talons.
Hawks don't normally go after dogs, but Laura Simon, field director of urban wildlife for the Humane Society, says Connecticut's cold weather might have played a part in the attack.
The cold, and the amount of snow on the ground might have forced the hawk's normal fare, such as squirrels and mice, underground, she told the News Times.
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"Hawks and owls are extra hungry right now. This might have been a very hungry bird,'' Simon told the paper.
She urges pet owners to keep a close eye on them while outside.
