Taking her dog for a walk on a chillyspring day, Sechelt resident Vicki Starfire stuck to her regular route along the electric power line paths at the top of Mason Road. But suddenly she heard her Britanny spaniel Sammie howl painfully from the woods.
Starfire ran into the wooded area and found her dog caught in a leg-hold trap.
Frantic, she tried desperately to free her dog, but in severe shock Sammie bit Starfire numerous times on the hands. The trap proved too powerful and Starfire was unable to open it. She did, however, manage to unscrew it from the tree it was chained to.
Having her cell phone with her, Starfire called 9-1-1. The operator put her in touch with conservation officer Murray Smith, who set out to provide assistance.
Upon arrival,Smith was able to pry open the trap while Starfire held the dog down with a blanket to prevent her from biting. Once free, Starfire wrapped up her companion and rushed her to the veterinarian.
"It was a very unfortunate situation," Smith said. "It's not something I've ever dealt with here in Sechelt."
Starfire had many questions about the incident, particularly the lawfulness of the trap. When asked about this, Smith stated the trap was indeed lawfully set.
"It's totally lawful, provided that it's set by a lawful trapper, a person who has a trapping licence - meaning they have authority to trap on either private property or Crown land. In this case, the area that was being trapped was Crown land. It was a lawful trapper, and a lawful trap," Smith said. "As a community, we need to look at the reason we've got the traps set. And the reason we've got them set is that we've had an influx, over the last three years, of wolves into our community."
Starfire said she understands watching out for wolves, but finds the leg trapping method inhumane. She also pointed out that while she is extremely grateful for the assistance she and her dog received from Smith, she still has many questions that need to be answered.
"Why isn't the public warned, and are there other traps out there we should be warned about?" Starfire asked. "This could have been a child, it could have been the dog's head in the trap. It could have been a lot worse."
Starfire also questioned the remoteness classification of the location she was at, adding many people use the area for recreational activity.
"As for people like trappers, we have to make sure we really analyze where we're putting the traps. The trap was set a ways off into the forest, but the smell brought the dog in," Smith said. "There were a lot of lessons learned from this, on all sides."
Starfire feels there will be long-term repercussions from this incident and would like to see some kind of trap warning implemented.
Sammie managed to escape the incident with no broken bones and, although shaken up from the incident, is recovering.
