I would always be concerned about the safety of a dog as small as the one you describe.
However, with regard to the owls you hear, I would expect that they are either burrowing owls or screech owls, both are very small owls.
There is an area within The Villages along Buena Vista, which is habituated by burrowing owls, which is designated as an endangered species area although the owls are not endangered. They share the area with some kind of burrowing turtle which is endangered.
They are a small owl which eats insects and small rodents. You can learn more about them at
Burrowing Owl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
Also to be found in this area is the screech owl, another small owl. The characteristic of this owl is a call that sounds like a horse whinnying....honest. Go here
Eastern Screech-Owl, Sounds, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology and play Descending whinny, monotonic trill .
Where burrowing owls live in holes in the ground, screech owls live in hollows of old trees. They also feed on small mammals, mainly rodents. More about them at
Screech owl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . If you saw either of these owls on the ground near your house I doubt that you could tell them apart. However, if they were on the ground it might be more likely that they are burrowing owls, particularly in view of the fact that we have an area nearby that is a sanctuary for them. Also, screech owls are more solitary and unlikely to be seen in pairs.
I had a screech owl in my back yard in Tampa a few years ago and enjoyed hearing his distinctive call.
As has already been mentioned, your small dog might be of greater danger from a hawk or eagle; we have both in this area. At any time of the day they could swoop down and snatch your dog and fly away. There are videos of this happening on youtube. It would be prudent to always keep it on a leash when outside.