Small dog picked up, dropped by predator bird in Michigan

MT. MORRIS, MI (CNN/WJRT) -- A bird of prey is believed to have snatched up a small dog out of its yard in a Mt. Morris neighborhood.

The four pound chihuahua named Nappi is recovering at a Flint area vet with a serious lung injury. The veterinarian believes he was attacked by an owl or hawk.

Sam Foster let out her two dogs Wednesday night in their fenced-in yard. The Pitbull mix came in right away, but not little Nappi.

"Nappi went out, he was only out for maybe five to 10 minutes and he came back in tucking his tail and his ears back. I thought maybe he did something," Foster said.

He had a protruding side, scratches and one puncture wound. She rushed him to a local vet, but didn't have the money for his care. That's when Streethearts Animal Rescue stepped in to cover costs.

Foster would soon learn what the veterinarian thinks happened.

"The only thing that we can figure happened is that he got picked up by either an owl or a hawk and maybe they couldn't get him and dropped him," Foster said.

Nappi is expected to make it, but is on oxygen to help him breathe.

Foster says this has been a wake-up call for her and hopefully other pet owners.

"There's so many things that can happen, I never thought something would swoop my dog up, but from a high altitude, he probably looked like a mouse," Foster said.