Chihuahua pup nearly food for hungry hawk

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.