A Regent’s Park artist described how a hawk hired by her flat’s management to deter pigeons swooped down from the sky and attacked her puppy in her garden, leaving it fighting for its life.

Ham & High: Eunice Barth, who lives in Charlbert Court, was left terrified that her chihuahua would be killed. Photo courtesy of Eunice BarthEunice Barth, who lives in Charlbert Court, was left terrified that her chihuahua would be killed. Photo courtesy of Eunice Barth (Image: Archant)

Residents at a luxury block of flats in St Johns Wood are furious that a hawk has been brought back in to control pigeons - despite attacking a chihuahua in a garden last summer.

While the managing agents suspended the hawk from coming for a year, HML Hathaways have re-hired the handler who returned with his hawk early last Saturday morning to frighten away the pigeons.

The hawk has been a regular fixture at the block, in Charlbert Street, for the last six years without other reported incidents.

Ms Barth, however, fears that it will attack Dolly again, or one of the newborn babies in the block of flats, or even decide to escape its handler and terrorise the families picnicking in Regent’s Park.

Ham & High: A hawk has been scaring away pigeons in Charlbert Court for a number of years. Photo: Google ImagesA hawk has been scaring away pigeons in Charlbert Court for a number of years. Photo: Google Images (Image: Archant)

She has been informed that the hawk will be visiting between six to seven in the morning on the weekend, around once a fortnight.

Her one-year-old chihuahua is still traumatised by the attack in June last year, when she nearly died.

Ms Barth told the Ham&High: “She was pinned to the ground, his talons were right around her throat.

“This hawk was dragging her along and he was just about to fly away.

“Her throat was lacerated and the side of her body and head were bleeding. It was awful.”

“My little dog almost died, it was an awful scene.”

Ms Barth said that she had been warned not to let her dog out of the apartment, but Dolly, who was only a few months’ old at the time, ran into her private garden while she was taking out the rubbish.

She described how the hawk dived down, and the dog was only saved after its handler rushed into her garden.

Ms Barth took Dolly to Village Vet in Hampstead and the London Veterinary Clinic, in Marylebone, and thankfully Dolly recovered, although she is still traumatised and on the look out for predators.

“Every time she goes out of the flat, she looks up first”, Ms Barth said.

Ms Barth’s neighbour, Ipek Kalkaban, added that she was completely against the hawk in Charlbert Court.

She said: “The is not something I would like to see in the middle of St John’s Wood, a hawk attacking birds.”

“I’m a massive animal lover, for me this is just a big no, no.”

A spokesman for HML Hathaways said: “We act as managing agents for the management company of Charlbert Court.

“We have been instructed to continue with the pest control procedure which has been in place for a number of years and is carried out by a reputable company.”