Boy battles hawk to save pup

(interesting story, nothing really important here, (S.S)

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Boy battles hawk to save pup

By Norman Miller/Daily News Staff
Monday, December 11, 2006 - Updated: 10:50 AM EST

Chris Campo had to fight a wild beast for his puppy's life on Friday
when a red tailed hawk tried to turn the youngster's Dachshund into
dinner.
But, a well-placed kick by Campo to the hawk's head freed 5-month-
old Dimi, who quickly high-tailed it to safety.

``I took the dog out to go to the bathroom and he started to run
around like he was kind of scared. I didn't know what he was
doing,'' said the 11-year-old Weston Middle School sixth-grader. ``I
felt a tug (on the leash), and I look back and a hawk was on the
back of my dog, trying to eat him.''

While the dog was yelping, Campo stepped on the bird's wing, reared
back and let loose with a kick at the hawk's head, he said. The bird
did not let go at first and the hawk, dog and child started
struggling until the dog broke loose and ran away.

``I didn't really think, I just turned around and kicked the bird,''
Campo said. ``My dog was being attacked.''

The attack happened at about 4:30 p.m., father Charles Campo said.
He said his son was outside of their Chiltern Road home for about 30
seconds when he heard Dimi yelp in pain and heard the boy yell.

``I go outside and there was this enormous red tailed hawk and it
had attacked the dog on its leash,'' said Charles Campo. ``It was
trying to carry the dog off, and my son wouldn't let go and he
fought off the hawk. My son was literally fighting a hawk Ä I was
stunned.''

Charles Campo said the hawk had a wingspan of about 3-4 feet, while
the wiener dog Dimi weighs only about 8 or 9 pounds, he said.
A hawk attacking a small animal is not a surprise, Wild Birds
Unlimited owner Ellen Davis said, but it happening so close to a
human is shocking, she said.

``They might do it if they were nesting, but this time of the year,
they wouldn't be nesting,'' said Davis, who owns the Medway outdoor
bird supply store. ``Red tailed hawks would pick up a squirrel, so
it must of thought it was food. I know owls will do it a lot of
times with small dogs, but not usually near a human.''

Apparently, the father said, the hawk was not scared off. When he
went outside yesterday, the hawk was perched on his air conditioner
and then flew to a nearby tree.

``It's been hanging out here all day,'' said Chris Campo, who said
his dog was resting comfortably yesterday.

After the struggle, the hawk was left dazed and Dimi had to be
rushed to the Wellesley Animal Hospital to get a few stitches in his
head.

``If I hadn't seen it myself, it's a story I wouldn't have
believed,'' said the elder Campo. ``Dimi is the cutest little thing
and he was almost dinner.''

(Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or at nmiller@...)

Chris Campo, 11, of Weston, saved his mini dachshund, Dimi, from an
attack by a hungry red-tailed hawk.

(Marshall Wolff/Daily News Staff)

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "stephenszpak" <stephen_szpak@...>
wrote:

> Boy battles hawk to save pup
>
> By Norman Miller/Daily News Staff
> Monday, December 11, 2006 - Updated: 10:50 AM EST
>
> <snip>
>
> ``They might do it if they were nesting, but this time of the
> year, they wouldn't be nesting,'' said Davis, who owns the
> Medway outdoor bird supply store. ``Red tailed hawks would
> pick up a squirrel, so it must of thought it was food. I know
> owls will do it a lot of times with small dogs, but not
> usually near a human.''

Lately i've been getting more and more disappointed to see
the increasing amount of printed material with "it's" where
it should be "its", or "your" where it should be "you're",
but now it seems that journalistic professionalism has reached
a new low.

Regardless of how Ellen Davis would have spelled it (which
is irrelevant, because Miller is obviously quoting her speech),
Miller should have written "so it must've thought it was food".

Sheesh -- spelling is one thing ... but if someone's *job* is
to write for a newspaper, you'd think that he can use the
correct words. The dumbing-down of the USA continues apace ...

-monz

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "monz" <monz@...> wrote:

Monz

Monz wrote>

Lately i've been getting more and more disappointed to see
> the increasing amount of printed material with "it's" where
> it should be "its", or "your" where it should be "you're",

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Well, I guess at least one list member reads my stuff.
To pracise grammer (grammar?).

Local news video (with interview), no big deal,
it was in my state and I thought it was a neat story.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/10506934/detail.html?
subid=22100410&qs=1;bp=t

-Stephen