Large Trap Small Dog

I don't want to look

It was a nice day Friday and I was home early so the dogs and I decided to take a walk. They were usual excited bouncing around, Speck let out one loud uncontrolable bark announcing his joy and we started up the road. I try to keep the dogs pretty close to me when I walk in case cars or other animals show up and they are usually pretty good about keeping within fifty or less feet.

I decided it would be nice to cut through the pine forest and up a trail I use often that comes out at the top of my property. I love looking over the top of the mountains and the last part of the walk is all down hill to home. So Leo, Speck and I cut in and started climbing up the trail. Leo was in the lead and Speck was about twenty feet in front of me. I noticed Speck was sniffing the ground then suddenly, he is screaming, twisting, turning and snaping at a trap now attached to him. I quickly raced to him and to see Speck violently thrashing, while I am try to see what damage has been inflicted on my dog and how to get this thing off of him. I reached in and immediately got my hand chewed up while attempting to grab the trap. Poor Speck didn't have a clue what was happening to him and  bite at anything to get it to stop. Now Leo arrived to investigate the screaming and I had to push him out of the way as well. I worried the longer Speck thrashed the more damage would be done to his small leg stuck in a trap made for a lot larger animal. Blood from my bite and Speck's mouth started to cover him, I finally got the trap in a position I could step on the spring lock and open it while he pulled his leg out.

Speck stood a few steps away dangling his back leg and I feared the worst, a broken leg. I picked him up and carried him back home. I cleaned him up and didn't notice any obvious broken leg. The trap had hit him in the hock just below the joint. He still would not put weight on it, but it seemed more from straining his knee joint during his twisting than the actual injured area. I noticed he was licking his lips funny and looked in his mouth to see two of his front upper teeth now hanging at an unnatural angle. In his attempts to free himself from the trap he had broken at least a couple teeth. 

Amazingly enough in a couple hours he was walking on his back leg and will only have to go to the Vet monday to have his teeth pulled the rest of the way out. As you can see by the size of the trap compared to him, he was very lucky. It could have been so much worse. This is the biggest reason I am not a fan of trapping. I have seen so many dogs loose feet or legs to trapping. 

After talking to the game commission, I found out there is nothing I can do since it wasn't on my property. So I guess it is walker beware out there. However I would like to make this plea. If you are a trapper, PLEASE don't trap near roads and pathways unless you mark the trap visably so someone walking themselves or their animals can see it. If my dog hadn't tripped this trap I might have just as easily stepped in it on a path I regularly walk. It is nice when everyone can enjoy the woods without feeling like they have to stay in during trapping and hunting season, which is half the year here. Mountain girl, Paula, logging off.