Close call for a dog who was nearly taken by an owl in the Ballard neighborhood

SEATTLE — A dog owner is breathing a sigh of relief after nearly losing his dog to an owl.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a dog owner woke up to take his dog outside for her morning potty break.

After spending some time alone in the backyard the owner returned to let her back in the house.

As he walked out to the backyard, he saw an owl swooping down from the trees in the direction of his dog.

The owner instantly reacted by shouting at the bird and it flew away just inches from grabbing the dog.

“But if he were to have come out in the backyard like one or two seconds later.. his dog would have become breakfast for the owl, no doubt,” Anne, the dog owner’s roommate wrote.

At this time her roommate called for Anne and they were able to capture pictures and video of the culprit.

“After that happened, the owl was just hanging out like right next to us, about 30 to 40 feet away,” Anne said.

The owl returned to the trees and continued to look around for its next meal.

Ultimately, the quick-witted owner averted a tragedy and developed a newfound respect for wildlife.