Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to wonder if a seagull could really steal a chihuahua????

267 replies

CrocodilesCry · 26/07/2019 15:38

So people are saying on social media that the chihuahua "plucked" from a garden down south wasn't actually taken by a seagull at all.

Searches have been called off. I've read people saying that the dog had actually been sold and this was a worst ever cover story Shock

So what does everyone think really happened? Could a seagull take a 2kg dog?

PS, I did look for other posts about this and couldn't find any. Apols if this is a TAAT or anything's been deleted for any reason.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 03/08/2019 08:21

I saw a video of one trying to lift a puppy, it was doing a pretty good job as well

The puppy looked bigger and heavier than my friends chi so maybe 🤷‍♀️

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 03/08/2019 08:28

Ah, ok Fallofrain.
What it did with our big sausage might not be typical then, but it definitely did disappear off with it. This was the seafront at Scarborough so it was a big open space and we saw it go a long way.
A sausage is obviously not as big as a chihuahua and doesn't struggle as much, but it wouldn't need to go far to get the dog out of the garden and out of its owner's sight.

Worrisomewart · 03/08/2019 08:33

Saw a video of a seagull eating a baby rabbit whole this week i will never unsee that.

So the idea of it being able to steal a small dog doesn't seem absurd to me. They are big strong bastards.

KUGA · 03/08/2019 08:34

Seagulls are very strong,i think they are capable of taking a small dog.
They are a damn nuisance,
I had one fly between me and my husband and it took my sandwich.
And my Grandson had his ice-cream taken by one.
VERY FRIGHTENING FOR A YOUG BOY.
I have also seen on many occasions them swoop down on / between/and from behind you.
Those stupid people who feed them have caused this problem.

TheFridgeRaider · 03/08/2019 08:51

Shock I don't trust gulls at all.

AIBU to wonder if a seagull could really steal a chihuahua????
AlecOrAlonzo · 03/08/2019 08:53

My first day of maternity leave before I had dc2 I went to a cafe in Lossiemouth for a bit of cake. I ordered then nipped waddled very slowly to the loo and while I was gone the waiter put my cake on the table outside. I returned just in time to see two seagulls steal my cake and fight over it. Shite, feathers and crumbs everywhere. I just about burst into tears. It was the last bit of coffee walnut too. Total bastards.

MsMarvellous · 03/08/2019 08:57

I watched a seagull fly off with a full grown pigeon once. They will take anything they can carry and are big buggers. I could see one managing a small dog.

Wildthyme · 03/08/2019 10:04

The term seagull comes from Larus Marinus, which is the taxonomic name for Great Black Backed Gull. This massive bugger is the one who would steal a chihuahua but they don't live in Devon towns.

princessTiasmum · 03/08/2019 23:00

That leg looks too long for a chihuahua, i had 6 in my garden last week, i will be watching my cats carefully

Lillyhatesjaz · 03/08/2019 23:15

I have seen a seagull attack a cat. It dived at it to get it with it's beak. The cat ran to safety under a parked car.
The gulls on the beach near me seem to be targeting children, I think they have realised that small humans are easier to take food from, it's a good idea to keep your LOs sitting down very near you when you eat so the gulls can't get them.
I don't think we can complain about them too much though, as it's people feeding them that have caused the problem, also some types are on the endangered list, and after all we expect people in other countries to coexist with actual dangerous predators.

pinkstripeycat · 03/08/2019 23:31

So what does everyone think really happened? Could a seagull take a 2kg dog?

Have you seen an adult seagull up close? They are huge and they are v strong. Whilst sailing I have seen a seagull grab a fish, more than half it’s body size, from the surface of the water.

pinkstripeycat · 03/08/2019 23:35

I have also seen a kitten carrying a wild baby rabbit in its mouth. Rabbit almost same size as kitten. Rabbit was alive so kitten defo caught it. Tried to grab kitten but it was too quick. Also seen a dingo (Australian wild dog) carrying a baby kangaroo. People on the army camp stopped and stared as the dingo trotted along. Mother roo ran away!

LloydColeandtheCoconuts · 03/08/2019 23:39

Mother Roo: A dingo ate my baby!

AmateurDad · 03/08/2019 23:39

Great Black-Backed Gulls don’t go anywhere near gardens. If a gull swooped down in this lady’s garden it will have been a Herring Gull, the largest of which are smaller than the smallest GBBG

Lillyhatesjaz · 03/08/2019 23:47

I saw a Herring gull swallowed a chicken carcass whole their jaws unhinge so they can swallow much larger things than you would expect. The gull was unable to lift off from the shed roof for some time after due to the weight.
This is something I saw as a child I have not been feeding seagulls.

SadOtter · 03/08/2019 23:49

I saw a great black backed gull kill a herring gull once and fly off with it, presumably to eat in peace. It was a quite frightening fight to watch - I did try to scare the big gull off but it was not even slightly scared of me. A herring gull is bigger than a small chihuahua so I guess it is possible if it caught the dog unaware, but it seems pretty unlikely.

TrendyNorthLondonTeen · 03/08/2019 23:50

The seagulls round here are the size of labradors. I absolutely believe it's possible.

princessTiasmum · 04/08/2019 14:19

Last week in town [seaside place] my daughter and myself saw a gull dive bomb a man with a pie in his hand it took it in one swoop, and flew off, he stood looking shocked,

TheFridgeRaider · 04/08/2019 16:11

Our gulls here don't even only do the dive anymore. They walk in a shop and nick stuff😂
They are evolving😂

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 04/08/2019 16:17

'Our gulls here don't even only do the dive anymore. They walk in a shop and nick stuff😂
They are evolving😂'

That's nothing. Ours perch on people's shoulders when they're keying in their pin at the cash machine, grab the card in their beaks and fly off to a machine at the other end of town, get out the maximum amount of cash and go in the shops and buy things Grin

TheFridgeRaider · 04/08/2019 16:20

That's nothing. Ours perch on people's shoulders when they're keying in their pin at the cash machine, grab the card in their beaks and fly off to a machine at the other end of town, get out the maximum amount of cash and go in the shops and buy things grin

I could actually imagine that😂

For a giggle. He is sure of himself walking in there😂
www.google.com/amp/s/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/cheeky-seagull-who-shoplifts-greggs-15918767.amp

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 04/08/2019 16:26

Rofl!
Seriously though, given that seagulls can get into shellfish, crustacea etc, I am sure they could find a way to open crisps.

Handsoffmysweets · 04/08/2019 16:34

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

picklemepopcorn · 04/08/2019 16:49

I'm not convinced your average bloke would correctly identify the bird that flew down and stole a dog. As in, maybe it wasn't a gull, but something similar.

TheFridgeRaider · 04/08/2019 17:01

I'm not convinced your average bloke would correctly identify the bird that flew down and stole a dog. As in, maybe it wasn't a gull, but something similar.

I disagree 😂 Everyone was at one point or another threatened by a gull. If he can't recognise a gull, there is something wrong with him😂

Swipe left for the next trending thread