Animal lovers, assemble and prepare to meet this Very Good Boy.
Dubbed the ‘miracle puppy’, this Texan Chihuahua survived a vicious hawk attack with mild facial injuries to go onto recover and find a new foster home.
Although he survived, hawk attacks are no laughing matter:
His new name, however, is pretty funny. The Chihuahua pup was given the name Tony Hawk by his new foster family for his ordeal.
Tony Hawk – the dog, not the beloved professional skater – has actually gone a little bit viral, too, after an animal shelter in Austin rescued the injured puppy on January 12, at the start of this year.
They said he was lucky to be alive after the bird swooped through the air, snatched the tiny dog – who weighs just one pound – and then dropped him from mid-air.
Austin Animal Center shared a couple of pictures of Tony after the incident, writing:
We’d like to introduce you to this nugget, who we’ve all taken to calling “Miracle Puppy”.
This teeny tiny guy was picked up by a hawk and then subsequently dropped from mid-air. It’s a miracle that he not only survived, but that the wounds on his head and chest are fairly mild.
This sweetie is now recovering in a foster home for the next few weeks.
The shelter used Tony Hawk’s story as a warning to pet owners to watch out for other wild preying animals.
They continued:
Let Miracle Puppy’s story be a reminder to protect your small pets from wildlife!
Hawks, owls and coyotes will prey on small animals, even in your fenced backyard. If you have small pets, keep eyes on them at all times while outside.
Since the Hitchcockian scene unfolded, Tony Hawk has been taken in by the shelter, from where a foster family collected him and took him to his new home – hopefully well away from too many birds.
Tony proved such a hit online, with many people offering to foster and even adopt the little pup.
The Austin Animal Center were so inundated with requests, they felt it necessary to update Tony’s fans and let them know he’s in good hands – not claws.
The story concludes with this reassuring post:
His foster reports that he’s doing amazing and is as sweet as can be! They’ve received TONS of adoption applications, so once he’s big and strong, he’ll be going home with a new family, which means applications are officially closed for this little nugget.
BUT so many of Tony Hawk’s friends at the shelter are still looking for their forever family.
The Austin Animal Center is home to so many animals who are looking for a home, and they hold meets with animal lovers and the potential pets to get together and see if they can make a family together.
With governments cracking down on notorious puppy farms, hopefully this means shelters like this one in Austin will have a better chance of re-homing these little guys.
Remember: adopt, don’t shop.
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A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.