My run away dog story

[DblG]

Well, our 11 month old mini daschund (the youngest of 4 dogs my wife, err..we, have) got loose the other night. No biggie, they run out the door sometimes when we're not looking as it slowly closes if we're not paying attention. We live on a dead end and along a small ravine where there are lots of rabbits, some groundhogs, and such and they like to run, explore and most likely sniff animal trails.
The ravine is just a little creek that runs past my property, through my neighbors and then back up along the border of a large plaza where there's movie theaters, stores & restaurants. It is a woodsy/brushy area about 40 yards wide and runs the length of the plaza from my dead end. It is a nice buffer zone. AFAIK, the dogs stayed near, as they come back within 30-45 minutes when they get loose. The other night was different. It was 10pm and he was still not back so I had to go out and look for him.
As I walked to the end of my driveway, a cop drove by (itself a rare occurance, as it is just me & my neighbor on this street) and asked if I was looking for a dog because someone called & complained of a dog barking in an area a little further than I expected the dog to stray, but still in the vicinity. So with this information, I walked through the fields and up to behind this plaza w/ my flashlight and kept calling him.
Finally, after about 10 minutes, I heard something that didn't sound too healthy. I had to trudge through muck and dense brush to get closer to the "barking". I finally spotted his eyes with my flashlight. "C'mon buddy" I kept calling, figuring he was too scared to move as it was very dark. Wouldn't budge. Since he wouldn't move, I thought his collar was stuck on something so made my back further into the brush and finally made my way up to him. He could hardly breath, gasping for air. "What the hell is he caught on?" I thought. Putting my fingers under his collar, I found he had a wire wrapped around his neck! It was a friggin' snare trap! He had gotten himself wrapped around a couple saplings and couldn't move an inch. And everytime he pulled it got tighter.
It took me awhile to figure out how to release this thing from his neck...all the while I'm scared he was going to die any second. Poor little guy was suffocating right there in front of me and i couldn't get if off! I contemplated leaving him and running home to get wire snippers, but couldn't bring myself to leave him alone any longer (in the pitch dark). I started to un-weave him from around the things he was wrapped around and got it so it was him and the length of wire to the tree. I can now get a good look around his neck to study this thing and figure out how to release it. Finally, after about 5 minutes, I figured out how to release the choke and got it from around his neck! He seemed alright, but obviously very scared.

Got him home and my wife looked at him. No blood, but you could see the wire marks indented in his neck where he was being strangled. Took him to the vet the next day...should be OK she said. The whites of his eyes are now blood red and he had a "turkey neck" from the strangulation. She said that would all go away in a couple weeks and he'll be back to normal. Phew!

I'm not a hunter, but not the head of PETA either. I have friends who hunt w/ guns or arrows and it doesn't bother me. But from this experience, all I can say is that snare traps seem to be an awful way to kill an animal. Slow strangulation.

Sorry for the long post...just venting. Guess I'll have to invest in a fence.

[The Crusader]

glad to hear it had a happy ending. when I first saw the thread I was a bit scared....good thing that cop did drive by, probably saved you and him some life saving time.

IMO, snares are inhumane and probably shouldn't be in that ravine area that you described.

putting up a fence is your best bet though and the most responsible thing to do. Like I always tell my customers, "if it wasn't for kids and dogs, we would be out of business".

Yep, I'm in the fence business. just on the other side of the state.

[burk48237]

Well snares are illegal as traps in most states especially in the East, definitely in NY State. So what your dog ran into was an illegal or homemade trap. Perhaps set up by a poacher or maybe improvised by some kids. Almost all trappers use leghold or cage traps.

And due to the decline in value of fur, trapping is occurring less and less in most of the country. It's just not as profitable, and most fur now comes from farms. As a consequence many of the predators that use to be trapped (Coyotes, Wolves, etc.) or now much more common. I would be very careful of letting any smaller dog run wild in a rural area now a days, especially at dusk or at night. Your lucky he didn't run into a pack of Coyotes, mini daschounds are a nice snack for them.

[bassteban]

I'm glad you're little wiener is OK.

[buzzbass]

I'd make it my life's mission to find out who set that trap, and then wrap it around their neck. a-holes !

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by DblG

But from this experience, all I can say is that snare traps seem to be an awful way to kill an animal. Slow strangulation.

Ya got that right!

MM

[kesslari]

Wow. What an awful experience. I'm glad your little guy is OK.
Fence. Most definitely, a fence.

[Gard]

First of all, I'm glad your little family member is safe and sound, if a bit shaken and stirred.

Second, yes, fence, post haste. Wouldn't want a repeat performance, plus, it give the little guy a sense of freedom without exposing him to any genuine danger.

Originally Posted by buzzbass

I'd make it my life's mission to find out who set that trap, and then wrap it around their neck. a-holes !

Agreed, no one needs to be using a snare trap at this point in time. If you were alone in the wilderness and were doing it with a reason, like to SURVIVE, that's different, but there is no possible logical reason for such a device in that area, other than to cause pain and suffering to some animal.

I caught the guy that did that, he'd be a greasy spot. People that abuse/torture animals don't deserve to breathe the same air as actual people, or their dogs.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

I too did expect the worst, when I read the thread title. What a relief it was to see that Your dog made it through.

AFAIK trapping is illegal in Finland, at least in south. The northeners usually trap rabbits and such, for food mostly. Then again there's big game there too so in some areas the hunter may become the prey. I don't approve traps or other slow killing methods, even my cat recieves a yelling when playing with their prey . Nothing wrong with killing, it's the torture I don't approve.

Give the little feller a pat for me

Regards
Sam

Edit: If You're handy with electronics find a line rate transformer from an old TV set or a computer monitor, hook it to a 9V battery and connect it to the trap line. If You put a stick through the loop no other animal will touch it, and when the trapper comes to inspect his trap, he'll remember it for a long time.

[Gard]

Strange coincidence that this thread was just started yesterday...

...my dogs are all kept in a fenced yard, and the gates are all latched using a carbiner to keep them from bumping the latch open.

Apparantly, over time, they had managed to bang and bump on one of the latches until they splayed the metal on either side of the latch out, and the carbiner wouldn't keep the latch closed any longer.

Three of my four took off this morning.

My wife found the two youngest, but our 15 year old (really her dog, had since she was a puppy) was not with them.

So, I took the dog that DIDN'T go on a walkabout, and went walking through our neighborhood while my wife went driving.

I had been walking for about 2 hours, and was cold and wet (it's raining and about 35 here), so was heading back to the house to take a break and warm up...

...I was walking just a block from the house, and I saw our dog...lying in the front yard of a house...she was hit, and is dead.



Unbelieveable. She was so sweet, very protective (I bet she went with the other two to try and keep them safe), blind as a bat, and deaf as well...why she left the yard is beyond me, but now she is gone.



Making matters worse, my wife and I are in the process of getting a divorce, and this dog was like her "rock", she is devastated, as am I. I am utterly heartbroken over my entire situation, and as unhappy as I am with this situation (I don't want the divorce, she does), I would give anything for this to not have happened....

What an awful, awful day.

[DblG]

Ugh. Very sorry Gard...I've read some of what you've been going through and this just piles on. Things can only get better.


An update to my story...
After a third day of walking through the area where I found my dog choking to death I FINALLY found the snare trap, all reset waiting for another victim. This time I had my wire cutters with me.

I took pics of it, but it takes awhile for me to get things from my camera to the computer to photobucket. Once I do that I'll post them. The loop was set at about 10-12" around about one inch off the ground. I don't know what this guy's trying to catch, but I can't imagine a rabbit getting caught on that...maybe groundhog, racoon or fox?

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by DblG

An update to my story...
After a third day of walking through the area where I found my dog choking to death I FINALLY found the snare trap, all reset waiting for another victim. This time I had my wire cutters with me.

Hopefully to tortute the setter of said snare with.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by Gard

...I was walking just a block from the house, and I saw our dog...lying in the front yard of a house...she was hit, and is dead.



Unbelieveable. She was so sweet, very protective (I bet she went with the other two to try and keep them safe), blind as a bat, and deaf as well...why she left the yard is beyond me, but now she is gone.



Making matters worse, my wife and I are in the process of getting a divorce, and this dog was like her "rock", she is devastated, as am I. I am utterly heartbroken over my entire situation, and as unhappy as I am with this situation (I don't want the divorce, she does), I would give anything for this to not have happened....

What an awful, awful day.

So sorry for your losses, Gard. Hang in there...

MM

[fenderhutz]

Here is where a stakeout and pellet gun would work wonders on whomever set that trap.

[hbarcat]

Many people put poison laced food out with the weekly garbage in order to kill raccoons and stray dogs and cats that would otherwise knock over their garbage cans. Lots of pets get loose and can't resist a convenient "snack" and they stagger home hours later in convulsions. Even if they survive, they will suffer long term health problems.

If you know anyone who does this, tell them to cut it out, because it isn't cool.

[fenderhutz]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

Many people put poison laced food out with the weekly garbage in order to kill raccoons and stray dogs and cats that would otherwise knock over their garbage cans. Lots of pets get loose and can't resist a convenient "snack" and they stagger home hours later in convulsions. Even if they survive, they will suffer long term health problems.

If you know anyone who does this, tell them to cut it out, because it isn't cool.

Not that I would do it but if the person doesn't have a fenced yard or let's their animals run loose to tear out my trash, I wouldn't be happy either.

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

Many people put poison laced food out with the weekly garbage in order to kill raccoons and stray dogs and cats that would otherwise knock over their garbage cans. Lots of pets get loose and can't resist a convenient "snack" and they stagger home hours later in convulsions. Even if they survive, they will suffer long term health problems.

If you know anyone who does this, tell them to cut it out, because it isn't cool.

Never heard of this practice but if I saw someone doing it I certainly would give them a large piece of my mind.

[Silaxian]

Originally Posted by DblG

Ugh. Very sorry Gard...I've read some of what you've been going through and this just piles on. Things can only get better.


An update to my story...
After a third day of walking through the area where I found my dog choking to death I FINALLY found the snare trap, all reset waiting for another victim. This time I had my wire cutters with me.

I took pics of it, but it takes awhile for me to get things from my camera to the computer to photobucket. Once I do that I'll post them. The loop was set at about 10-12" around about one inch off the ground. I don't know what this guy's trying to catch, but I can't imagine a rabbit getting caught on that...maybe groundhog, racoon or fox?

If setting snares of this type is illegal in your area, perhaps you should get one of those inexpensive trail cameras (you can find them at sporting goods stores, and sporting goods depts in big retailers like Walmart) and take a nice snapshot of the perpetrator for the local authorities.

[fenderhutz]

Is there a Chinese restaurant nearby?

[Fassa Albrecht]

What a lucky escape you had there! Glad to hear your dog is OK though.


Might be worth reporting the snares to the environmental agency or whoever deals with these things where you're living. From the sounds of it, someone is regularly laying these traps and there is a chance that they could be prosecuted.