The owner of a Jack Russell that had its tongue ripped out by a hawk faces a legal battle to have the bird of prey destroyed.
Ian Farquhar’s four-year-old Jack Russell is still being treated for his horrific injuries a week after being attacked by a harrier hawk in Dundee.
Colin Kirk, the owner of the hawk, initially said he would “respect” Mr Farquhar’s demand for the bird to be destroyed.
But Mr Farquahar claims Mr Kirk’s position is now that he will only put the hawk down if ordered to do so by a court.
He said: “I’ll have to go through the proper procedures to get the bird destroyed- that’s fine by me.
“I am taking this guy all the way.”
Ollie was attacked by the bird on a patch of waste ground between Douglas and Whitfield as he enjoyed a walk with his owner last Friday.
His tongue was so badly damage, vets had no option but to remove it.
The pet will need help with eating and drinking for the rest of its life and will have to avoid exercise because the tongue acts as a cooling mechanism.
Mr Farquhar, 47, said: “People are in shock. They are coming up to me crying, because they know Ollie.”
He said: “He is doing fine considering what has happened to him.
“They are trying to retrain him how to eat.
“They are putting small pieces of food in his mouth and bending his head back, but he’s not swallowing, he is spitting it out, which is a concern.
“We’re not sure if he’ll be able to take food, so it’s a waiting game.
“He has been better with water because it has been going down his throat fine, so they are happy with that.
“The only concern is that when he is drinking water, you have to keep an eye on him all the time, in case it goes into his lungs.”
Mr Farquhar explained that he was overwhelmed by the public’s reaction to the incident.
He said: “The nurses all love him and have been giving him loads of cuddles.
“I have to look on the positive side. This is an unknown thing though, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
“He won’t be able to taste anything anymore.
“If he does pull through, I can’t take him out when it’s sunny or he’ll overheat.
“The amount of people saying they can look after Ollie when I am working is amazing.”
A Tayside Police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the incident and officers are making further enquires to establish the full set of circumstances.”
Mr Kirk declined to comment.
It emerged today that a two-year-old boy was nearly blinded after a hawk attacked him while he was in a play park in Farnborough, Hampshire.
The hawk ignored his 18-year-old owner and attacked the toddler.
Alfie Hall was left with deep gashes in his face and surgeons had to glue back part of his left ear.
Elysia Hall, Alfie’s mum, spoke of her shock after the incident had happened.
She said: “It was really frightening. There was blood everywhere.
“The bird had ripped several chunks out of Alfie’s head. Doctors told us he was lucky not to lose his sight.”
The hawk’s teenage owner was held by police in England but released later on.
Alfie has now recovered from the terrifying incident.
