A photo of the trap, with keys for scale, that weighed about half what the dog weighed at 35 pounds.

 

Dear Editor:

 

On Friday February 14 2014, a dog I was hiking with was caught in a trap set about 50  feet from the Continental Divide Trail off Cottage San Road outside Silver City.  It was a horrific scene as the dog went into a panic biting at the trap, biting at me and trying to free itself.  I was able to grab the Jack Russell and wrestle him down with the trap on his leg and calmed him till he was in a state of shock.  Then with one hand holding the dog’s head down I tried to release the trap.  My clothes were full of blood from the dog attacking the trap and me.  

 

NM Fish and Game has produced a  rescue video because of the high number of these instances. While I appreciate the video of how to release a dog from a trap as a guide, I wish I too had a “dummy” dog like in the video.  It is actually quite horrific to try and take a trap off a terrified thrashing dog in the wild by yourself.

 

I contacted Fish and Game and they were not able to respond immediately because the officer was in Pinos Altos with a couple who also had a dog in a trap where the owner was bitten by her own terrified dog.  Unfortunately, I removed the trap from the location.  I should have left it there so it could have been verified that it was too close to “The Continental Divide Trail."  I understand the trapper was cited for a technical violation regarding the closing mechanism.  Anyway, what kind of person puts a trap next to a trail….not any old trail—but the Continental Divide Trail? What kind of State would allow this?

 

Steve Townley

Silver City