While Felipe Rodriguez was at his sister’s house in Bowmanstown, Pennsylvania, watching her dog, Zoey, an eagle swooped low to the ground and carried the eight-pound Bichon Frise away. The hungry raptor and little dog disappeared over the trees.
Rodriguez, who was visiting from Chicago, said the scene was so bizarre, he could not believe it. His sister knew that living next to the Lehigh River meant sharing her property with scores of wildlife. She knew that hungry eagles liked to come in from the river and prey on the rabbits, but she had no idea they were a threat to her dogs.
Eagles and falcons carrying away small dogs and cats are not a common occurrence, but it does happen. In the winter months, food sources are scarce and the large birds travel past their normal hunting grounds in search of anything that looks like a meal.
Rodriguez immediately jumped into the car in hopes of finding Zoey. He drove all around the neighborhood looking for Zoey. He drove for miles, then just assumed the dog was gone for good. When his sister, Monica Newhard, came home, she was devastated. Monica and her husband began searching in the woods expecting to find their dog’s body. Then they posted Zoey’s picture on a Facebook post and then there was nothing to do but wait.
However, a few hours after the incident, Newhard received an unexpected phone call. The woman on the line said: “It’s a miracle! I have your dog!”
While Christina Hartman was driving along a snow-covered backroad, four miles from Newhard’s place, she saw a sad-looking furry white lump of a dog on the side of the road. When she investigated, she found an eight-pound Bichon Frise covered in icicles. The dog had small wounds on the back of its neck and seemed to walk with a limp.
Hartman immediately took the frozen dog home, wrapped her in a blanket, and fed her two bowls of chicken and rice soup. Once the dog was warmed up, she tried to figure out where the little dog came from. The dog had no collar, but it was obvious the dog belonged to a loving family.
That’s when she got on Facebook and saw the post about Zoey!
Zoey is now home safe at home and nowhere near prying eagle eyes. Zoey was bruised and injured with a few patches of missing fur, but she’s still alive and healing just fine. The family is so grateful to have their dog back! Monica hopes their story serves as a warning for other small pet owners.
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