A puppy is making a “speedy recovery” after being picked up by an owl and dropped onto a nearby golf course, according to a rescue organisation.
Foothills Animal Rescue said puncture wounds from the owl’s talons were visible in the 12-week-old puppy’s skull after she was attacked and carried off over the weekend.
The puppy, called Latte, was snatched from the back garden of a foster family in Arizona, when her carer Bonnie Ziegler briefly let her go around the side of the house for a toilet break.
Latte was dropped on a nearby golf course, where she was found nearly 12 hours later injured and dehydrated, the rescue organisation said.
“I didn’t hear a sound and the other puppies didn’t bark. It was as if she just vanished,” Ms Ziegler said.
She added: “We immediately started searching and soon our neighbours joined in. We posted a notice on Nextdoor (a social networking app) in the hopes someone might find her.”
Ms Ziegler was alerted of Latte’s whereabouts when a golfer on the course posted a photo of the puppy on the Nextdoor app.
Foothills Animal Rescue said the puppy is now back with her foster family after a weekend at an emergency veterinary clinic.
She was described as being “in good spirits” and had no broken bones from the drop.
The puppy’s veterinary costs came to $4,500 (£3,416), however some of those costs will be covered by donations to the rescue shelter for Arizona Gives Day.
Once she has fully recovered, Latte will move to a new home as the shelter say they have found a new adopter for her.
Foothills Animal Rescue is a non-profit shelter based in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is dedicated to reducing the number of homeless pets through care and adoption services.
