Yahoo News Seagull snatches chihuahua from back garden and flies off with tiny dog in its beak
People who have small dogs have been warned to keep their pets inside after a chihuahua was snatched by a seagull from his owner's back garden.
Tiny Gizmo, four years old, is still missing after a bird swooped down and carried the animal away in its beak.
Becca Hill, 24, of Paignton, Devon, is hoping her beloved pet will be found alive, and has asked locals to keep their eyes peeled for the abducted chihuahua.
"My partner was in the garden putting the washing out at the time and suddenly he saw it swoop down. It carried Gizmo a fair way as we couldn't see him anymore. I have no idea if he was dropped or where he is now," Ms Hill told the Devon Live website.
She also posted about Gizmo on Facebook. "Please, please, please, anyone finds a chihuahua he's mine, a seagull took him from my garden," she wrote.
Ms Hill said her six-year-old daughter is "really upset" and "missing her dog".
Fortunately, the child did not witness Gizmo being taken away.
Peter Rock, an ornithologist at the University of Bristol and seagull expert has warned owners of tiny dogs to not let them run around in the garden unattended.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "These gulls are very large and as you know, if you've been around gulls, you'll know they're very large and are quite capable of picking up small animals, quite commonly they will kill pigeons that look a little bit under the weather.
"It brings me back to that story a long time ago about poor little Roo in Cornwall who got attacked by herring gulls."
He said that he has seen gulls rip the innards out of fully-grown mallards, and that small dogs could be at risk.
Mr Rock added: "If you have a very tiny little dog I suggest you don't let it run around on your garden as it might well become a meal. It would have to be very tiny like this one was."
There are several recorded incidents of seagulls attacking small dogs. The problem seems particularly rife in Devon; in May 2015 Niki Wayne, 57, who lives nearby watched in shock as her chihuahua was pecked to death by ruthless gulls.
As her owner took a shower, Bella managed to nudge open a slightly ajar door and run outside, where she was killed by gulls.
An RSPB spokesman said: "This must be extremely upsetting for the dog's owner. Fortunately these types of incidents are very rare and not typical gull behaviour."
