SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A woman walking with her dog says an owl tried to attack her dog in Scottsdale.
Chelsea Grubb caught the moment on video. It shows a Great Horned Owl sitting in a tree staring at them. It starts to move it's head back and forth then finally flies right at them.
"Get out!" she is heard saying as the camera quickly moves. The owl is then seen perched behind them on a building still staring at them. "You are trying to get my dog," Grubb says.
That wasn't the only time that night. “That same owl attempted three times to swoop down and take my dog,” Grubb says. She and her Chihuahua-dachshund mix go on walks every night but have never experienced anything like this. “I was shocked," Grubb says. "I was surprised the owl was that determined to get a meal.”
12News showed the video to Amy Burnett with Arizona Game and Fish. She says it looked like the owl was after something to eat.
"It did really look like the owl was scoping out that dog," Burnett says. "Take it home for dinner." Adding this may start happening more in the Valley.
"You are going to be seeing a lot of owls hooting back and forth because it is the very start of mating season," Burnett says. While Grubb was lucky. Others have had their pets killed or seriously hurt by owls. Burnett says, "They can be found anywhere in the valley."
While they only weigh about three pounds, Great Horned Owls can easily pick up small animals. Basically anything less than 10 pounds.
"They are always on the lookout for easy food," she says.
Owls are a protected species in Arizona, so it's something people have to be on the lookout for Burnett says.
"If you have a chihuahua, Boston terrier and all those smaller dogs it's definitely something you need to be watching it and not leave them in the backyard unattended." She also encouraging dog walkers to keep their pets on a leash while going out.
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