Eagle ordeal

Wednesday, March 13, 2002

Attack on dog has owner seething over national bird's legal immunity

By DOUG HARLOWStaff Writer

MADISON — Ava, the 4-year-old dachshund that was snatched last week from her own yard by a bald eagle, is home recovering from her ordeal, the dog's owners said Tuesday.

And now, Jon Martin Jr. says his father is so incensed by the mishap that he wants to go out and shoot the big bird, but he knows he cannot because of federal laws protecting the nation's symbol of justice and might.

He said that when coyotes and foxes killed his chickens and goats a few years back, he was able to trap and shoot them.

Jon Martin Sr., a native of Portugal, says he now must stand and watch as the majestic bald eagle circles high above his River Road home, waiting to strike again.

"I said, 'Dad, you can't shoot that bird, that's the American bird,' " Jon Martin Jr. said Tuesday. "He'd be in jail for like 25 years.

"He said that day, 'Now Ava's going to die and I can't do nothing to that bird.' "

Ava survived the attack and the fall from perhaps 40 or 50 feet after she bit the bird and it finally let go.

Veterinarian Gail Gibson operated on Ava at the Animal Medical Clinic on Route 150 in Skowhegan a few hours after the attack last Friday.

The dog suffered deep puncture wounds to the hindquarters from the eagle's razor-sharp talons.

"She came home yesterday," he said Tuesday. "She's got stitches and four tubes sticking out of her."

Ava is being medicated for pain and infection, and is sporting a cone-like protective shield to stop her from pulling at the stitches.

Martin said his father let the dog out of the house Friday morning, as he does every morning. The dog's usual routine includes a visit to Jon Jr.'s house next door, where Ava plays with Jon Jr.'s two daughters, who are 5 and 3.

The morning routine was shattered Friday, when the eagle swooped out of the sky and grabbed the 13-pound dog in its talons and flew away.

When Jon Martin Sr. realized what had happened, he said he began running toward the bird waving his arms and yelling, as the eagle circle skyward with the little dog in its clutches.

"Then the dog bit him in the leg, so he let him go," Martin Sr. said.

He said the dog dropped from about the height of a tall tree nearby and hit the ground, hurt but still alive.

Martin Jr. said Tuesday that short of shooting the eagle out of the sky over the Kennebec River, his father thinks at the very least the federal government should foot the surgery bill.

He said the animal clinic charged them $230 for the surgery and veterinary care.

"My father said he can't do anything about that bird — it's a bald eagle," Martin said. "He said: 'I shouldn't have to pay the bill. The government should have to pay the doctor's bill.' "

Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

MADISON — An American bald eagle swooped out of the sky Friday morning and snatched a 13-pound dachshund from the dog's own yard, family members on River Road said.

"She came home all bleeding everywhere," Jon Martin Jr. said. "An eagle has sharp talons. You could see exactly where the claws were."

Martin's parents, Laura and Jon Sr., took the dog, 4-year-old Ava, to the Animal Medical Clinic on Route 150 in Skowhegan, where veterinarian Gail Gibson performed surgery about 3:15 p.m.

A receptionist at the clinic said the dog will live, but perhaps without the use of its badly damaged hind legs.

She confirmed that injuries to the animal's hind quarters appeared to be caused by the long talons of a big bird.

Martin said he and his father began noticing the eagle last fall near the the Kennebec River north of downtown Madison, where the river twists and turns.

"He always hunts in this area, constantly circling around, way up high," Martin said. "It's a really huge, huge bird. It's really beautiful."

Martin said his father let the dog out of the house, located about 500 feet from his own house, as he always does in the morning. The dog's daily routine includes a visit to Jon Jr.'s house, where she plays with his two daughters, ages 5 and 3, he said.

That routine was interrupted Friday, when the eagle landed, clutched the dog in its talons and flew away, according to Martin.

"I told my father, I said, 'Dad, you want to watch out for that eagle. Ava is a little hot dog. That eagle's going to get the dog.' This morning, sure enough, he got the dog."

Jon Martin Sr. said he saw the eagle, but at first did not know the bird had grabbed the dog.

When he realized what had happened, he said he began running toward the bird, waving his arms and yelling, as the eagle lifted off the ground with it prey in tow.

"Then the dog bit him in the leg, so he let him go," Martin Sr. said.

He said the dog dropped from about the height of a tall tree nearby and hit the ground, injured, but still alive.

"She bit the eagle and and he dropped her," Jon Jr. said, again picking up the story. "The claws pierced her like a razor. They went right through her body to the other side."

Martin Jr. said his daughters love the little dog, so he and his wife Sherrie did not tell them Friday that a big bird had hurt Ava.

"We didn't let them know anything yet," he said. "Hopefully everything's going to be OK.

"If she comes home OK, we'll tell them after."

Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

BACK to Animal Attack Files Index

Tell a Friend about the Animal Attack Files

Animal Attack
Books

Search Now: