Here in CA, there are alot of redtail hawks mostly in the surrounding mountains. We live in a regular neighborhood at the edge of farmland and orchards, and my backyard area is 1/3 acre not counting my side area where we keep our rabbits, chickens & quail. I've been here 25 years and have never seen a hawk around here until about a month ago; but he must have traveled on thankfully. My dogs are very tiny-2-4 lbs. I rarely let them out anymore after my male maltese got fly strike really bad on his bum last year. Flies have become really bad in this city over the past 3 years. Now it scares me to put the dogs outside, so I gave their pen to my male goose. I'm so sorry about the losses to you both of your doxies. That would devastate me to lose one especially like that. I've been wanting to move to NC where I can have acreage, but then I think about predators that we are safe from here, along with mosquitoes which are scary bc of West Nile virus, so not certain I now want to move east of the Mississippi. Aargh! Decisions, Decisions