December 7, 2004 Dubuque, IA A man was walking his 2 dogs in a wooded area near his home when 1 of the dogs ran down to the creek and was caught by the head in a conibear trap. The man struggled to remove the trap for several minutes but the dog died before he was successful. The trap was set legally. Dog
December 7, 2004 Lowell, MI A woman walking her Brittany spaniel on public property let the dog off the leash to run. The dog was caught by the head in a trap baited with fish guts. The woman could not remove the trap and stayed with her dog until she died. The woman then walked to the police station. Dog
December 7, 2004 Maquoketa, IA Maquoketa, IA — Jackson County Sheriff’s Department found a dog caught in a leghold in rural Maquoketa. The dog’s leg eventually was amputated. Dog
December 5, 2004 Belleville, WI Olie ran into a Conibear trap during a walk. Once the man noticed Olie was missing it took him 3 to 4 minutes to find the dog in the grass. Olie could not emit any sound because the trap had such a tight grasp around his neck and body. The man struggled to remove the dog for about 5 minutes but it was too late. Dog
December 1, 2004 WI dog was caught by a Conibear trap set on private property without the landowner’s permission. The dog belonged to the landowner. The trapper was cited for trespassing by the sheriff’s department, but was not charged with any violation of trapping regulations by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since the trap set was set legally. Dog
November 28, 2004 NM A woman walking her dog on BLM land witnessed the animal stepping into a leghold trap. The trap caught the dog’s foot and the woman tried for several minutes to pry the dog free. The woman gave up on prying open the trap and dug up the trap from the ground and drove the trapped dog about 30 minutes to a vet. It was there that the dog was released and has recovered from the incident. Dog
November 24, 2004 Grand Marais, MI Camping at the Blind Sucker State Campground during deer hunting season, Pivo’s caregivers were very careful to be wearing orange, even on the dog. Pivo wandered approximately 40 feet from the designated campsite. She tripped, but was not hurt by, a leg trap, but five minutes later she found the Conibear trap that killed her. There were no tags on the traps and both were lying on the ground and set. Pivo’s caregivers were unable to remove the trap from her neck before she was asphyxiated within minutes. Dog
November 15, 2004 Brookings, SD A dog was caught in a Conibear trap in an abandoned lane near the family’s rural residence. Although Hakata Sioux was trapped for 30 minutes, she was rescued in time to suffer no more than bruises and “emotional trauma.” Dog
October 1, 2004 While on maternity leave Ruger’s guardian was walking her dogs along a gravel road. Approximately 200 yards from homes along the road was a leghold trap. Ruger was trapped and he panicked. When she tried to free him, she was bitten. She had to run home for a muzzle with her newborn in tow. The trapper was not found and no one was charged. Dog
September 4, 2004 Fredonia, WI A great horned owl that had been injured in a steel-jaw leghold trap was brought to the Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center. Other