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View Full Version : Tiki Killed an Eider Duck O_O



Varga
05-15-2009, 09:49 AM
So. My friend and I were playing with the dogs down at the beach. My friends Rottweiler, Sascha, has just recently started to take a liking to swimming, so both me and my friend were occupied cheering her on and helping her find the sticks we were throwing in the water. Before I know it, I see Tiki swimming out as well. I noticed the ducks taking flight and just laughed as I figured Tiki's high hopes had now been crushed... But no. Seconds later I see some commotion in the water. I run closer, yelling my head off, but Tiki is already swimming to shore with the bird (which by the way was almost the same size she is) in her mouth. By the time I get close enough to get her away from it, she had already shaken it several times by the neck and there was no way it was going to recover. I just let her finish it off at that point. I panicked for a moment, thinking I was going to have to put it out of its misery myself.... I have no idea how to quickly kill a bird!
So the options were to just dump a insanely large rock on its head, or call my dad (who hunts birds from time to time) to snap its neck. But luckily none of that was necessary, since Tiki did the job herself.

The two big dogs were just looking at the whole ordeal from a safe distance. Too scared to come close! lol xD

I figure the duck was probably sick or something to begin with. Or maybe it just didn't notice Tiki soon enough. I dunno. She does try swimming out after birds plenty of times. But if it's wild birds, Tiki usually doesn't stand a chance since they're way too fast in the water and they can also fly away if they want to.
She has on about 3 occasions caught tame ducks tho'. And once a goose. But never did any serious damage, since I've always been close enough to stop her before things got too ugly.

So yes. Just thought I'd share that little story. Good example of all the strange situations we dog owners end up in ;)

Oh and if someone is wondering. An Eider duck looks like this.
http://www.thewesternisles.co.uk/Assets/Images/rarebirds/bird-sightings-eider-3aa.jpg
They're very common around here and swim around in big groups, making very eerie sounding noise :p
Females are brown. Males are black and white. The one Tiki got was a male.

happylabs
05-15-2009, 10:05 AM
That would be scary. I would most likely panic and not know what to do. I am amazed that the dog caught the duck. If it was sick or something, maybe it was for the best.

Karen
05-15-2009, 01:15 PM
When they shake the animal, it is to break its neck and kill it. As you said, likely it was an old duck, or somehow impaired so it didn't notice the the wolf approaching!

bckrazy
05-15-2009, 08:55 PM
Wowza... I wouldn't put ANYTHING past a JRT. :eek: Those are some intense little dogs!

Varga
05-15-2009, 10:34 PM
Yup. Intense is one word you could use. Insane is also pretty accurate :p

I wish we had these contests here for terriers and other small hunting dogs, where they go underground to find rats (which are safe in a cage, so no one gets hurt). Go-To-Ground?... I think you call it in English?
Tiki would have so much fun doing that.

Or lure coursing. That would probably also be great for my little hunter :D