Dog Safe Trapping Online Petition

Body grip traps are often baited with meat and placed in ditches along roads, near trail-head parking lots, along trails and in recreational areas. People are surprised and their dogs are killed. The dog often dies with the owner present and trying to release the powerful trap.

Other states do a better job protecting dogs. WI, CT, ME, MD, MI, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, and UT all require trappers to set body-grip traps elevated above the ground or in the water to protect dogs. Use of body grip traps large enough to kill dogs on land is prohibited in AL, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, MA, OK, WA, and WV. IN, MI, MO, NJ, ND, OH, PA, WV, and WI allow only non-lethal cable restraint snares on land. These cable restraint snares are effective for humane, live capture and can be used safely where traps pose a problem for pets or other animals. Eighteen other states don’t allow any snares for land animals.

Legislation was introduced in Minnesota requiring body-gripping traps be set in such a way as to protect dogs from accidentally getting caught and killed (S.F. 1325 and H.F. 1655). Body grip traps would be required to be either, fully submerged, placed in dog-safe boxes or mounted five feet above the ground. If these changes are written into law, they would greatly reduce the number of dogs that are killed and maimed by body-grip traps each year.

I support legislation requiring body-gripping traps be either fully submerged, placed in dog-safe boxes or mounted five feet above the ground. Petitions will be submitted to legislators in the upcoming legislative session. Please include your email address so we can send you email action alerts.