CARDIGAN, P.E.I. - When Della LeClair’s dog got caught in a snare, LeClair herself felt trapped.
“I was just petrified,’’ LeClair says of seeing her four-year-old, 90-pound yellow lab Wally in a terrible bind.
The dog was not breathing and LeClair feared her beloved animal was on its way to becoming unconscious.
“Wally was just still,’’ she recalls.
At first, LeClair felt helpless to save Wally. She knew nothing about snares.
She managed to settle and focus on the task at hand, and “somehow’’ figured how to free her dog.
Rather simple, really.
“All you need to do is find the little metal tab,’’ she explains. “You just need to tilt it upwards towards the slack. It loosens immediately.’’
She shared her story on Facebook, which in turn has had a remarkable 1,200 or so shares, and with the media in hopes of preventing anyone from “facing the terror that I thought I was facing.’’
The incident happened late afternoon on New Year’s Day when LeClair went in the woods behind her Cardigan area home.
Wally and his sidekick Kiddo, a three-year-old black lab, set the pace ahead of LeClair.
Wally pounced 30 or 40 feet off the trail into heavy brush when he got snared. LeClair ran to the sound of her dog “squawking in a high screech.’’
The second LeClair freed Wally, the animal caught his breath and pranced around.
The only damage to the dog appears to be a very bloodshot eye, notes LeClair.
The trap was legal.
LeClair spoke with the trapper, who did not realize the snare was in a potentially problematic area. He removed all of his traps that were nearby.
“He had no intention of hurting a dog,’’ she says.
“He was so apologetic. He was mortified.’’
Most of Prince Edward Island is private land so permission is needed from the land owner to trap on his or her property, notes the provincial wildlife division’s website on trapping.
Trapping is permitted on many public land properties, however, some properties are restricted due to their importance for other activities such as dog walking, hiking and snowshoeing.
Incidents of illegal trapping can be reported by calling 902-368-4884.
