© Copyright 2003 Kim A. Marlowe/HeartDreams Farm — Permission granted to copy and distribute for educational purposes ONLY if article is kept complete and includes credit to author.

An article by Kim Marlowe

Owners and caretakers of toy breeds have additional safety factors to consider for their smaller dogs. Our little dogs can fall prey to predators such as the coyotes, wildcats, alligators (unsafe for any size dog!), some members of the weasel family, certain snakes, several birds of prey, and unfortunately some domestic dogs. Other dangers include careless handling by people and a possibility of low-blood sugar problems especially while young that larger breeds just don’t usually see.

Most Papillon breeders are well aware of these dangers, so this article is geared to the new Papillon owner, as well as to offer fellow breeders literature to use in their educational efforts as well.

Some of the dangers I’ve listed above are not taken seriously by non-toy-breed people, and, unfortunately, even some who do own toy breeds! I have been surprised that many people don’t realize or believe that there are birds that will snatch and kill prey as large as a Papillon. Before I share some of my research to prove the validity of needing to protect our Paps from certain birds of prey ("raptors"), let’s mention some of the less-questioned risks that Papillons need to be protected from.

Here are the easy ones: coyotes, wild cats such as mountain lions and lynx, and alligators. It is pretty much undisputable that these predators are dangerous to domestic cats and smaller dogs. Luckily, these creatures are not in all regions!

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, "Very small dogs, e.g., small poodles, are viewed by coyotes as easy prey and are at risk to be killed year round. One myth on coyotes is that they don’t come out in broad daylight – wrong! I grew up in a neighborhood where it was not uncommon for them to walk down the road in broad daylight. Unfortunately, as cities encroach upon natural habitats, the coyotes are becoming braver. They often hunt in packs, but do not need to for prey as small as Papillons. Coyotes are extremely clever and will conserve energy as they let their prey wear themselves out until they are easily caught. The Missouri Department of Conservation and the California Department of Fish and Game, as well as many other state wildlife departments, recommend to "keep small pets inside." The CDFG also adds, "Don’t allow them to run free at any time. They are easy, favored prey."

Wild cats, such as mountain lions, are a threat in some areas. Mountain Lions also go by the names cougar and puma. The California Department of Fish and Game tells residents to "KEEP PETS SECURE: Roaming pets are easy prey for hungry mountain lions. Either bring pets inside or keep them in a kennel with a secure top. Don't feed pets outside; this can attract raccoons and other mountain lion prey.". About half of California is prime mountain lion country. Formerly distributed throughout North America, the mountain lion is now found mostly in the remote areas of the western U.S., as well as western Canada and much of Mexico. A small population still exists in southern Florida, where the species is considered endangered. Lynx are mentioned to sometimes (though not commonly) kill dogs, and other cats such as Ocelots, bobcats, and Florida panthers can be threats. According to the National Wildlife Federation, many of the big cats are vanishing from the United States, however, if you live where there are any, our tiny dogs are definitely at risk!

Alligators, thank goodness, are not a threat in most areas of the United States. However, since our Nationals in 2003 are in Florida I wanted to make sure to include them! Dogs are snatched by alligators when they are close to the body of water that the alligator inhabits. This is very important. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s brochure on "Living with Alligators" warns "Don’t - allow pets to swim, exercise or drink in waters not known to be free of alligators or in designated swimming areas with humans. Dogs suffer many more attacks than humans, probably because dogs more closely resemble natural prey items of large alligators. Alligators are more likely to attack small animals than larger ones." Dewey Weaver from the same department stated, "Alligators often attack dogs if owners allow their dogs to get near water." Alligators sometimes wander in areas where you wouldn’t expect them to be, like outside of the Tampa mall! An man and his adult 70-pound Labrador/Weimaraner mix found this out the hard way back in March 2002. Luckily the man was able to grab the dog out of the pond and rush it to the car in time to save it, but it did receive "a cut more than 1 inch long on her face, lost a tooth and suffered a broken leg." I’m sure we all know a Pap wouldn’t fare so well.

Members of the Weasel family, including Fishers, Wolverines and Martens prey on small mammals the size of Papillons. Not only this, they are very ferocious predators and quite scary, often taking on animals much larger than themselves! Fishers prefer lower altitudes. "Fisher’s live in the northern mountainous parts of North America. They prefer forested wilderness areas, although they will live near rural homes as well. When dining out, Fishers choose a restaurant with a good selection of rabbits and porcupines. They will also hunt house cats and small dogs, so be careful letting your pets out if you live in a Fisher’s habitat."

Different poisonous snakes live in areas all over the United States. These pose a threat to large dogs as well as toy breeds, however, the venom is more serious to toys as there is just less body weight to distribute the poison. Dangerous snakes include: sidewinder, rattlesnakes, cottonmouths (also called water moccasins), and copperheads. Poisonous snakes can be identified by having triangular-shaped heads. To find out which types of poisonous snakes are in your area, and how to keep them out of your Papillon yard, contact your local department of Fish and Game or Parks and Wildlife services. Please don’t forget to check your yards, especially piles of wood or "junk", before letting your Paps out to make sure they don’t run into any deadly surprises!

There are ten birds of prey, also called raptors, that can be lethal to very small dogs which include our Papillons, that are in the United States. These are the Caracara Falcon (member of the Hawk family), Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, Steller’s Sea Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Barn Owl, Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, and the Snowy Owl. Not as commonly, Vultures (Black, King and Turkey) have been reported to kill live calves, domestic ducks, baby lambs, skunks, opossums and baby pigs. Black vultures, en masse, attack and kill skunks and opossums and eat them.

According to the Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds, "after catching the victim, which eagles and virtually all hawks kill with the grasping feet and talons, they either hold their prey on the ground and eat it or carry it in the talons or in the bill (if it is light enough to be carried) to a perch above the ground." Unfortunately, that means that the weight-carrying capacity of individual raptors may not be important, as they don’t have to carry off their prey to be lethal. Urban Legends Reference Pages by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson, make quite an issue of whether stories of small dogs being carried off by birds of prey are true or not, and claim they are not true (though with scarce proof), though they do admit that certain owls "have no trouble taking off with a hare in their talons, so a small dog is well within their capabilities." Personally, I don’t care if it’s true whether the bird actually carries off my Papillon or not, the fact that they can and will kill it is enough for me!

Papillons usually weigh around 6 to 8 pounds, with many smaller and larger versions. In questioning the validity of raptors being able to attack and/or carry off our Papillons as prey, let’s consider weights of common prey of the above-listed raptors.

Falcons and Hawks have extraordinary eyesight; in experiments in Germany, peregrine falcons recognized sitting doves 3,000 feet away, and a white handkerchief used in "feather play" about 5,100 feet away.

Caracara Falcons are found in Mexico, Texas, Arizona and some left in Florida. Their feeding habits include catching and eating skunks, prairie dogs, and opossums. The Prairie Falcon found in arid plains, hills and mountains in the interior of western North America eats jackrabbits and young prairie dogs.

The Golden Eagle is a scary and formidable predator. In British Columbia in 1956 it was documented that one caught a 10 pound black bear cub, carried it 100 feet into the air, dropped it to its death on the rocks, then descended on it to feed. Golden Eagles have been used in the art of Falconry to hunt antelopes, foxes and wolves (the eagle holds it while the hunter kills it). They are fearless! It is recorded that they occasionally kill and eat porcupines, marmots, foxes and young deer and antelope. Golden Eagles are found in North America, Eurasia, and northern Africa. The breeding range in North America includes north-central Mexico, the western United States as far east as the Dakotas, Kansas and Texas, Alaska and across northern Canada. No nesting records exist for Minnesota. During the winter, they can be found in southern Alaska and Canada, the western United States and Mexico. A few Golden Eagles are seen in Minnesota every fall during the migration and occasionally on the Mississippi river in the winter. Food for Golden Eagles range from insects, small mammals, snakes, and turtles, to skunks, prairie dogs, marmots, ground squirrels, to rare extremes of full-grown deer, antelopes, and even Great Horned Owls. One of the greatest ornithologists of America has the following information in his Life Histories of North American Birds:

There are numerous, apparently authentic, reports of these eagles killing large animals. F. C. Willard (1916b) reports the killing of a four-point white-tailed deer in Arizona.

The deer had been pounced upon by one or more eagles as it floundered in the deep snow, and its back was fearfully lacerated by the talons. After it had succumbed, the carcass was dragged downhill over one hundred yards until it lodged against a large boulder. Three eagles were feeding on in when first discovered by some prospectors. . . .

Recently two cowboys in the employ of Mr. Lutley came upon three eagles feeding upon the body of a calf about seven months old. . . . the back of this calf gave every evidence that it had been killed by the eagles.

C. F. Morrison (1889) reports that a golden eagle in Montana "had captured and killed a good sized Black-tail Deer, and was shot while sitting on its body." Mrs. Seton Gordon (1927), while watching a nest, saw "a wonderful sight. The cock eagle alighted, exhausted, at the eyrie with a roe-deer calf held in one great foot! The powerful bird arrived from below, and was only just able to raise himself to the nest with his large burden." A few days later there "were two more roe calves and the skeleton of the first" in the nest. Aiken and Warren (1914) write:

The Golden Eagle is reported to be one of the worst enemies of the mountain sheep, killing many of their lambs. A Mr. Waldron told Aiken that many years ago when driving on the plains with several others he saw an eagle of this species attack and kill an antelope. The bird pursued a bunch of the animals, singling out one, and when close enough struck it on the back with its talons, and while clinging there and tearing with claws and beak it at the same time beat its prey's sides with its wings. The men drove close enough to shoot the eagle, and found the antelope to be dead with its back badly torn by the bird. Aiken was also told that an eagle was seen to pounce upon a two-year-old calf near Hartsel but was driven way before any harm was done. Rather large prey for the bird to tackle.

Mr. Cameron (1907) relates the following story as told to him by a shepherd:

He narrated how from some distance away he saw an eagle stoop at one of the dogs, and hang above it as raptorial birds are wont to do when attacking ground game. The dog, not paralyzed like a hare, at the proximity of the great bird, ran towards its master, when the hovering and expectant eagle fixed one foot on each side of the collie's throat and endeavored to bear aloft the shrieking animal. The shepherd described how during the few minutes that he was running toward the struggling pair and trying, incidentally, to find a stick, the eagle made frantic efforts to carry away the dog, which seemed unable, when clutched in this manner, to make any attempt to free itself. According to the story, the bird was flying all the time, in any case flapping its wings, and, although prevented from rising by the weight of the quarry, it was able to drag the helpless dog to and fro. The eagle had, in fact, too good a hold for her own safety and was ignominiously killed by blows on the head with a stick.

There are many old tales of eagles carrying off young children, but most of them are pure fabrications by sensational reporters. An eagle, if pressed for food, might carry off a small baby that had been left in the open unprotected, but such an opportunity must occur very rarely. Stories of babies being found in eagles' nests, practically unharmed, are purely imaginary, as eagles are well known to kill their prey at once. Mr. Forbush (1927) has investigated a case, which seemed to him authentic; an eagle attacked a little girl, nine years old, and cut and bruised her arm quite badly before it was beaten off. It is doubtful if an eagle could lift anything heavier than a very small baby. Mr. Cameron (1905) says: "Personally I have never known an eagle to carry anything heavier than a seven pound jack-rabbit and would think eighteen pounds (the extreme weight of a jack-rabbit or a Scotch brown hare) to be the extent of the largest eagle's capacity. It follows, therefore, that the lambs taken are very small."

The weights of the fawns and the fox, referred to above, were not definitely known, but they probably did not exceed 18 pounds and may have weighed much less. An eagle in rising from level ground must use its feet to spring into the air; therefore, if one or both feet are needed to hold its prey, it is handicapped accordingly. From an easy take-off on a steep slope it could probably lift its own weight, 14 to16 pounds, or perhaps more.

According to Mr. Bent, "The golden eagle is such a large and powerful bird that it can attack and kill many large mammals and birds, and it shows great courage in attacking animals larger than itself, many of which are capable of inflicting severe injury on the brave bird."

The Ferruginous Hawk can be found in open dry country in the Great Plains and Great Basin of western United States. It is large, powerful, and "swoops down from great height in air to catch prairie dogs; also very fond of jackrabbits, cottontails, mice, gophers, even attacks stray cats and tries to carry off."

The Red-Shouldered Hawk (also called Red-Bellied Hawk) is a resident of eastern North America, southern Canada, to Florida, west to Great Plains, and an isolated population in California and Oregon. Their prey includes opossums and skunks.

Red-tailed Hawk is one of the more common raptors. It’s breeding range extends from central Alaska through Canada and across the entire United States, south through Mexico and into Central America. In winter,. Many of the northern birds move south, however, Red-Tailed hawks are commonly seen as far north as Minnesota each winter. Feeding habits for these hawks include gophers, prairie dogs, cottontail rabbits, weasels, skunks, porcupines, may attack wild house cats, and many others including other birds and snakes. The following interesting account of a redtail attacking a cat is published by E. D. Nauman (1929):

The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds states that, "Owls strike their prey on the ground or out of the air, grasping the bird, mammal, snake, insect , or other prey in their powerful feet and sharp talons; usually bring prey back to perch to eat it." The Barn Owl can be found all over the United States and roosts in trees during the day or towers of old buildings and flies over fields at night looking for prey. Their prey includes jackrabbits and occasionally skunks. The Barred Owl is often found in deep woods east of the prairie states, especially in Florida. They can fly noiselessly through and around trees in forests. They eat red and gray foxes, minks, opossums, weasels and rabbits. Large hares have often been found in their stomachs.

Great Horned Owls are another one of the especially scary and real threats to toy dogs. The Raptor Center says they are "considered by many to be the most voracious of all raptors, the Great Horned Owl feeds on an extremely wide variety of prey." They are widespread over the United States, in wooded areas, city parks, and suburbs. The are one of the largest (wingspreads up to five feet!) and most powerful of all North American owls, hunting both by day and by night in woods, mountains, marshes, dunes and in open desert. They also fly silently. Their prey includes large hares and rabbits, weasels, skunks (they often smell of skunk), opossum, porcupines, large snakes and domestic cats. Microsoft’s Encarta Encyclopedia writes, "They feed on almost any living prey, such as mammals from mice to small dogs…" Mr. Bent writes, ". It is so powerful and aggressive that it can attack and kill surprisingly large mammals or birds." In his book, Life Histories of North American Birds, we find: