I do not know if it is the facial itself or a combination of the products we used on him including those in his regular regimen (Isle of Dogs Royal Jelly, Isle of Dog White Coat Evening Primrose and EZ-Groom Crystal White) or something complete unrelated but clearly Georgie had an allergic reaction and his ears turned the brightest shade of pink ever! They didn’t seem to bother him but is surly bothered me when I looked at it so 1 cc of Children’s Benadryl and about 5 minutes later and his ears were back to normal.

A canopied run is in our very near future – in the meantime, we don’t let the little ones outside and the bigger ones are out in pairs WITH a human.

Alexis was out on the steps off of our back deck eating some leftover pizza for breakfast. If you own Chihuahuas, you know that if there is food, your dog (or into our case DOGS) are very close to the plate or bowl. Needless to say, they were all gathered around her feet when all of a sudden, a hawk swooped down and grabbed Georgie by the head with his talons. So much happened over the next few seconds but each piece more amazing than the previous…

Georgie started to scream – like anyone or anything would – as the hawk tried to fly away. The other dogs immediately started barking and chasing after the hawk. Dude and Cosmo actually bit at the bird! Then Alexis dropped her plate and actually got up and HIT the hawk. Yes! She smacked it several times until it finally let Georgie out it’s grip and now HE was the one screaming.

That’s right around the time that I saw this large bird flying away out of the corner of my eye and I actually watched the hawk fly off into the woods while I opened the back door and let the dogs  – who many at that point happened to be waiting right there, including Georgie, into the living room. Georgie was yelping and trying to hide under the couch, all while blood began dripping down the front of his head.

I called Doc immediately and clearly this is a situation that he has experienced before and could explain what we were seeing without even seeing a photo! First, he explained the swelling to a T – It was squishy, not hard, because it was actually air trapped between the scalp and the skull. The claw had punctured the skin and pulled it up. He had me press out the air using a hot compress, also allowing me to clean up the wound and see just how many punctures there are. He prescribed Clavamox as an antibiotic as well as lots of rest. That is when I realized he is the luckiest Chihuahua on the planet and my daughter is a Super Hero!

There is one puncture just shy of his molera  (soft spot) and Alexis fought a hawk!!  Can you believe it? A bit of actual swelling at his stop, complete exhaustion and a fear of anything that moves, has been Georgie’s life for the two hours that have followed the attack and we will let him sleep for as long as he wishes.

Unlike other times when I have seen “the weakest link” be bullied by the pack, this time it was the exact opposite, They all banded together to defend and then looked after Georgie. After he received his medical treatment, he tried to climb into the X-Pen so I opened the door and in he ran and then almost immediately, Milly and Olive laid down beside the pen as if in vigil, waiting for news on his outcome. So sweet!

So now we are looking for ideas on how to create some hawk-proof runs for the dogs. Be sure to send your ideas and I will be sure to share what we eventually design.  I know we are not alone with our hawkcident and that we are extremely lucky to still have our sweet baby boy. Maybe we can save more Chihuahuas (an other tiny breeds as well of course) from ever having to experience such a horrific event – Spread the word and lets share our ideas because clearly they aren’t as afraid of humans as one might think!!