Dog owner Becca Hill of England is distraught as her Chihuahua Gizmo was plucked out of her garden by a seagull near Devon.
The Daily Mail reported that Hill is hopeful that Gizmo survived, but she has no idea where he is. She is now taking to social media to sound the alarm that her pup is missing, but also, that smaller dogs are vulnerable in a garden or backyard.
Hill shared that Gizmo was enjoying the nice weather and playing in the yard when a “bird swooped down and grabbed the tiny four-year-old pooch in its beak.” She added that both she and her partner witnessed the horrifying abduction that happened on Sunday afternoon out of the blue.
Gizmo is still missing, and the couple doesn’t know if the seagull harmed the dog or perhaps dropped it into the water.
Hill spoke to Devon Live to recount the scene with the sea bird and what followed.
“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.”
Desperate search for missing chihuahua dog that was swooped on and carried away by seagull in Devon garden https://t.co/iFcCOuCbmL
— Devon Live News (@DevonLiveNews) July 21, 2019
Hill said it never crossed her mind that such a thing could happen and really thought that by having a fenced-in area for the dog, he was secure. Others in the area have said that smaller dogs had been pecked to death by gulls.
An RSPB spokesman said that this is not common seagull behavior.
“This must be extremely upsetting for the dog’s owner. Fortunately these types of incidents are very rare and not typical gull behavior.”
Gizmo, who can best be described as a teacup Chihuahua, looks to be under two pounds, was near the water in Paignton, Devon when he was taken, says The Mirror . While most people who go to the beach are used to seeing seagulls attempting to steal a French fry or a sandwich, Hill explained that she never expected that a bird could or would snatch her dog from her back garden.
Hill, 24, explains that her boyfriend was outside with Gizmo, the dog, when the bird swooped down.
“My partner was in the garden putting the washing out at the time and suddenly he saw it swoop down.”
The distraught dog owner shared photos on social media in the hope that someone will spot Gizmo somewhere in the area in southwest England.