This is the story. A Pomeranian in Quad City, Iowa, weighing about five pounds, ran away from home. Five pounds is rabbit size. The dog was captured by a Great Horned Owl, which then flew away with the it, carrying the pooch about three miles before it lost its grip. The dog fell from the sky (height unknown), and landed in front of someone driving by. That person took the dog to the police who eventually returned it to its owners. The dog was a bit scratched and had a broken tail, but otherwise was unhurt. The dog's owner said the animal was "nervous" upon return. Conversation by members of a birding email list pointed out that large raptors easily can take small pets. A friend of mine, a top-of-the-line birder who knows her owls, was asked if an owl could carry away a 12-pound miniature poodle. That question was posed on a birding email list. "Nope," said my friend. "The owl would eat it right on the ground where it was killed." The Pom, incidentally, is on the lesser end of the weight that owl could carry. The story was first published in the Quad City (Iowa) Gazette. A Great Horned Owl is pictured in flight. Below are Great Horned Owl talons.
