Dog injured in trap

Dakota, a friendly Lab-cross went missing for four days recently. Jean Wiggins, the dog's guardian, was beside herself with worry not knowing what had happened to her friend.

When Dakota came stumbling home, dragging a severely damaged leg and foot, Higgins was both horrified and relieved.

Veterinarians at Broken Top Veterinary Clinic in Sisters went to work on the badly mangled foot and leg, using tools and skills designed to keep infection from the dog's wound and help speed up healing.

According to the clinic spokesperson, the wounds suggest that the trap Dakota stumbled into may have been a tooth-jawed trap which inflicted severe damage to the dog's paw.

According to Oregon wildlife trapping statutes and regulations, the use of serrated jaws on traps for any reason is illegal.

The season for trapping fur-bearing mammals usually ends when the weather warms, as the fur looses commercial value. However, Oregon wildlife laws allow a person to trap all year on his or her property if the objective is to remove coyotes causing damage to livestock.

It is here that the lines between trapper and dog-owner responsibilities overlap. While a private land-owner may lawfully use traps to eliminate coyotes, at the same time, a loose dog wandering about on that land is breaking the county's leash law. If that dog is caught in a leg-hold trap set for coyotes it is legally the dog-owner's fault, not the trapper's.