Further Proof that Rat Dogs are Ratty

One of the hawks who hang out in Bryant Park to control the rodent (pigeons, rats) population attacked a chihuahua. Thomas Cullen, falconer (or as Gothamist likes to say, "hawk handler"), tells the Daily News, "I'm absolutely certain my bird mistook it for a rat. We've never had this happen before." A hawk named Galan dove after the dog who was poking around some bushes in the afternoon. The dog suffered a puncture from Galan's talon. Galan will no longer be flying in Manhattan, and park officials may suspend the program. Maybe they are worried, rat dogs today, ratlike hairstyles the next. But Gothamist can understand Galan's confusion, we similarly recoil when we see chihuahuas on the street.

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By Jen Chung in Arts and Events on August 6, 2003 9:17 AM

Comments [rss]

Jim

my dog is a chihuahua ratterier mix,was bit

by a german shepherd, $500.00 later he is fine

but was wrapped up like a mummy for 2 months

he was about 5 months at the time it happened

he's only 4.5 pounds full grown. it's amazing

what a punctured lung does to an animal.

lavetta butler

Well my dog Diva was not only attack but was killed by a hawk. Diva was a Yorkshire Terrier who weighed 4.5 pounds

erikka

That dog kinda looks like a gremlin.

cruella

What hawk wouldn't want to poke out that dog's eyes? All it needs is a mini-Trucker hat with a chin strap.

Jen

I don't know, Rion, your cute dog looks really big in the pictures.

rion

i think that little thing is adorable!!! and jen, we've found a defining difference of opinion between us: I have a rat dog and she's waaaaay cute. (you'll note in the photos that i'm holding her closely on my lap so i can easily beat any large bird of prey away.)

Sherry Zade

Sorry, henry, that's likely to have been the police. Now, had it been a white VW Beetle that disappeared, I would think it had almost certainly been mistaken by one of the great birds for its egg.

henry hipster

Hmm... It must have been one of those Rocs that lifted my Volkswagen Golf from its spot on 86th street and dropped it off at the main pound at Pier 76.

Sherry Zad

Interesting you should mention that, tom. We here at Synbad Systems have been using modern breeding techniques and advanced genetic technologies to recreate the lineage of the extinct roc. We feel that there is an untapped market for predatory birds, large enough to carry off a fully grown elephant. They will be particularly useful in areas where unchecked breeding have combined with excessive availability of Converse sneakers and found art to allow the hipster population to burgeon beyond the natural carrying capacity of their loft-space ecosystem.

Thundercat!

We could unite the rats and the hawks against those sporting trucker hats...

tom

let's go a step further. not LESS falcons, MORE falcons, and concentrated on the Upper East/West corridors that have become ratdog havens. and train them to attack not only those in shrubbery, but hidden in those annoying, briefcase size handbags.

and i'm waiting for falcons that go after trucker hats next.

Tony and/or Hudson

tien, the rat being held up on the news was one of the rats infesting a firehouse in Queens. That infestation got so bad that they have decided to temporarily close the house while they renovate it.

In light of this, I think the hawk was treated unfairly. Just think what could happen if a breeding pair of those chihuahuas slipped from their owner's pink purse in the subway. They could escape into the tunnels and infest the whole City. Kill them, kill them now before it's too late.

West Coaster

Yes, hawks do swoop down and carry away very small dogs that they mistake for rats. Similarly, at dog parks some of the bigger dogs will mistake them for some sort of rodent or varmint, especially if they start running and it sets off the hunting instinct in the bigger dog. It is a sad, sad situation. Which is why I advocate flamboyant costumes for all Chihuahas, Pomeranians, etc, a la Liberace.

Sam

I'm sorry but Chihuahuas aren't dogs. I think the hawk had the right idea. It's not the hawk's fault people have rat-looking dogs as pets.

xena

The W spread should have featured rats and hawks in designer duds.

callalillie

Often times their owners are grosser.

erikka

I have to admit I laughed when I read this. Had the ratdog not been on a leash, the hawk would have just carried his tiny little carcass away.

Jen

I don't see anything wrong with hawks trying to control the ratdog population. I know this is wrong of me, especially since I almost cry when I watch Animal Prencinct and see people mistreat animals, but ratdogs are gross.

Anonymous

ugh. annoying that the hawks might have to go because of one rat-dog incident. why not recommend that the rat-dogs wear brightly-colored sweaters (half of them do anyway) to distinguish them from their rodent brethren? then everybody wins. sort of.

hatchback

That chihuahua puppy is soooooo cute I could eat it! That hawk had the right idea.

tien

did anyone see the video on the news (ny1, i think) about how the city is dealing with the rat problem. i recall a city official holding up a rat as evidence.