On Halloween night, we were standing in the backyard with Starbuck at our feet, waiting for her to go pee.  We live near the marsh and there are wooded wetlands right behind our backyard.  All of a sudden, we heard a flapping of wings and a thud – looked to the left and there is a giant owl, wings fully spread, and stuck in the tree.  His wingspan was huge, and I swear as wide as I am tall, and i’m just over 5 feet.  The arc of his swoop aligned perfectly with the tiny puppy at my feet.  We stared at the owl, and it at us, until he folded and unfolded his wings a few times and freed himself, then dropped to the ground and flew to another tree nearby.

We snatched up Starbuck really quickly and went inside.  Now we only take her in the front yard at night, on a leash, and my husband carries the sawed-off mop handle that we keep in the patio slider door, ready to swing at any predatory birds that mistake my family member for a meal.