DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Illinois Chihuahua puppy Tico el Bandito is recovering after a nightmarish attack by a red-tailed hawk.
Tico's frantic barking caused his owner, Janice Flores of Downers Grove, to run into her backyard Monday, only to find the two-pound dog in the talons of a hawk she said was "the size of my Thanksgiving turkey," the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.
Flores -- still in her pajamas -- drove the bird away by screaming and pelting it with anything handy, including jumper cables and a bottle of Gatorade, the newspaper said.
Finally, a shovel did the trick, but Tico, who suffered a puncture wound to the head, has been a nervous wreck since, the owner said.
An emergency room veterinarian at the animal hospital that treated Tico said there is potential for a full recovery, but "only time will tell."
After Flores posted a warning to other pet owners online, she received some harsh criticism for leaving her dog unattended, but bird experts say hawk attacks on dogs are very rare.
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NEW YORK, Nov. 27 (UPI) --
Crude oil prices per barrel ended lower Friday, closing out the short week at $76.05, down $1.91, or 2.4 percent, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
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