Around here many people set traps on public ground and in ditches. They use illegal traps; with no identification.
When I mentioned in my post that my husband watched a cat killed by a trap...it was a trap that is completely, 100% illegal in the state of Iowa...it was located in a ditch off of a public roadway. A kid picking daisies could have had his hand snapped off.
It is a serious concern for guys out hunting with dogs...so we could just as easily discuss keeping traps off of public ground rather than “keeping our dogs on our property.”
Oh! Forgot to mention...I grew up on a large sheep farm. My Father would have NEVER trapped an animal in this fashion...he would have been horrified, frankly. We had farm dogs & goats to keep predators at bay...goats are mean...LOL!
Wrong.
“A kid picking daisies could have had his hand snapped off.”
Oh good grief! Leg hold traps don’t snap things off nor do they break things, they clamp and hold. If what you said was true I wouldn’t have any fingers left on my right hand, I’ve had them caught many time while setting traps, I want them set light! I use #3 and #4 dual coil Victor leg holds and I’ll stick my hand into either one and won’t come back with no more than a slight bruise if that much. They are specifically designed to hold not maim, I trap for the whole animal not just a foot, fur buyers don’t buy feet. Farm dogs and goats are considered a fine cuisine by the local predators around here, they’ll take them right off you back porch. They don’t make a dog big enough or bad enough to fend of a pack of coyotes, that dog or goat will be coyotes feces the next day. We have a total of 42 square miles of ranch with coyotes and the occasional mountain lion, there’s only one way to protect it and it’s an ongoing battle.
As far as fitting the dog with a prosthesis good luck with that, most likely she’ll chew it off. I’ve had two three legged dogs over the years and if it’s a front leg they get around surprisingly well. My German Shorthair Judge was hit by a rattle and lost part of his right front leg, My Jack Russell Waylon had his right front leg chewed up by a badger and had to have the foot removed. Both lived long happy lives. The plus side is they don’t dig anymore! My Jack Russell Maggie thinks she’s a Chu Chi tunnel rat. Some of the old Vets here will figure that one out.