Will Hawks Snap Up Small Dogs in Washington State?

Will Hawks Snap Up Small Dogs in Washington State?

I recall last year, as spring began in the Tri-Cities, that a hawk was stationed up in a tree in our neighbor's pasture.

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My wife had said that I shouldn't let our littlest dog, Roxy, outside because the hawk was hunting for food and that it might come down and swoop up Roxy.

Our Roxy is a mix of a Chihuahua and Dachshund and weighs about 25 pounds - she's a little overweight for her size, so we joked that we doubted the hawk could lift her.

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It did get me thinking though because we've all seen the movie The Proposal where the hawk snatches up the little dog with Sandra Bullock freaking out.

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I did a little research to see if it was even possible that a hawk would go after a small dog, and this is what I discovered:

It's possible but highly unlikely, according to All About Birds. Hawks generally cannot carry more than their body weight, so the dog would have to be under 10 pounds but generally the dog would have to weigh about 2-4 pounds to make it possible.

It's still a scary thought, but I soon realized our Roxy was way too heavy for the hawk to carry her off. I watched the hawk for a few hours, and then he got bored and flew off. I haven't seen one since, but it was an unusual sight to see him high in the trees in Kennewick.