NEW YORK - Trained hawks employed to keep pigeons from making a mess on visitors in a midtown park have been grounded because one of the birds mistook a Chihuahua for lunch. On the afternoon of August 7, an 18-inch hawk swooped down and gouged the diminutive dog with one of its talons while the dog was nosing around in the bushes of Bryant Park, located behind the landmark New York Public Library. The hawk was quickly separated from the pooch. A park employee flagged down a cab so the dog's owner could take it to a veterinarian. "I sincerely believe the bird mistook the Chihuahua for a rat because it was in the shrubbery," said Thomas Cullen, the falconer hired to run the anti-pigeon program. The hawk, named Gal n, was taken to Cullen's headquarters outside New York City.

　　A final decision on whether to end the use of the hawks to scare pigeons out of the park is expected by the end of the week. Daniel Biederman, executive director of the Bryant Park group, said the hawk program has been a success since it was started in April, with pigeon infestation down 50 percent and fewer complaints from visitors.