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Sixteen-year-old toy poodle found alive after hawk snatches it from owner's backyard

4 years 7 months 2 weeks ago Monday, February 24 2020 Feb 24, 2020 February 24, 2020 1:58 PM February 24, 2020 in News
Source: ABC News
Photo: WTAE

WHITEHALL, Penn. - A toy poodle miraculously survived a night in the bitter cold despite being taken by a hawk that planned to make the dog its next meal.

Porschia, a 16-year-old pup who is deaf and nearly blind, was lounging on her owner's back deck at their home in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, Thursday when the hawk scooped her up.

Between the attack and weather that dropped into the teens overnight, her owner Debra Falcione was convinced she'd never see her beloved dog again despite hours of searching.

"I was crying my eyes out," Falcione told WTAE. "She is my life. My dogs are my life."

More than 28 hours later, Falcione got a call from the Banfield Pet Hospital. She was shocked when an employee told her Porschia was found safe and sound. 

"I went down there, and sure enough, this is the dog," she said. "The old dog with the strongest will to survive."

Staff at the animal hospital told Falcione that Porschia had been found by a neighbor about four blocks from her home after she was dropped by the hawk.

Hospital staff placed her in a heating tank after she was turned in, according to WTAE. While she was lethargic, she had no broken bones and will make a full recovery.

Falcione described Porschia's escape as nothing short of a miracle.

"How she got away, I'll have no idea. How she survived it, I will never know," she said. "But I know one thing: by the grace of God, this dog is still alive."

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