GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: This story features an image that may be disturbing to some readers.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A working dog losing her leg due to a trap near a farm north of Fort St. John has prompted advocates to call on the province for updated trapping regulations.
Ricky Hartley and her family live on a farm northwest of Fort St. John, with Pearl, an Anatolian Shepherd dog, working as a livestock guardian and family companion.
Livestock guardian dogs are medium to large-sized dogs that protect livestock from predators.
Hartley says they had noticed on Saturday, February 3rd, around noon that Pearl had gone off to do her job. When she didn’t come home for dinner, they started to get worried.
“Pearl’s never not come home for dinner,” Hartley said.
She says the sun had gone down, so they made plans to look for Pearl the following day.
On Sunday, Ricky’s husband, Clayton, took the snowmobile to all corners of the property to find Pearl to no avail.
Hartley says she started hollering for her dog Sunday evening, as they live in a valley, and her voice travels very well. She could hear Pearl howling back to her, but the dog wouldn’t come home.
“We knew something wasn’t right,” Hartley said.
On Monday morning, as soon as the sun was up, Hartley says she started hollering again, and Pearl was still howling in response from the same location.
Hartley says her husband used the snowmobile again and tried his best to find the family’s dog.
Between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Monday, he finally found Pearl in a location where he had to use snowshoes to get her and carry her back to the snowmobile because she couldn’t walk.
Hartley says they rushed her to a veterinarian in Fort St. John, where they discovered the foot was unresponsive, so they had to amputate her entire leg.
Since then, Pearl has been housebound, and though the Hartley family enjoys it, the dog wants to be outside.
Hartley says Pearl was pretty sad for the first week and a half after losing her leg but is starting to adjust and seems happier again.
“She’s definitely retired now, unfortunately,” Hartley said.
She says they’re considering getting another dog because of where they live, but finding another Anatolian Shepherd will take some time.
“After getting Pearl, she’s the sweetest, most loyal, smartest, best little guard dog ever, so we’d definitely never get a different breed after her,” Hartley said.
According to The Fur-Bearers, a wildlife protection charity, no warning signs were posted and the Hartleys were not informed of trapping in the area.
The incident with Pearl comes within weeks of another trapping incident near Kitimat, where a dog was caught in multiple leg-hold traps set for wolves where no warning signs were posted.
The charity says it has advocated for “common sense” updates to trapping regulations for over a decade, but the government has not introduced any changes to protect the public.
According to data obtained by The Fur-Bearers, the Ministry of Forests was aware of 74 trapping incidents involving pets from 2015 to 2021, an average of over ten incidents per year.
“Residents of British Columbia shouldn’t fear going for walks with their dogs or allowing Livestock Guardian Dogs to effectively do their jobs, but the inaction of the government has made that a reality,” said Lesley Fox, executive director for The Fur-Bearers, in a press release.
“There is no way to know if a casual walk with your family’s best friend will end in a horrifying tragedy – despite clear, simple solutions that could prevent it. It’s time for the government to listen and protect families from the dangers of commercial and recreational trapping.”
In the release, the Fur-Bearers provided five updates that should be made to trapping regulations to protect the public:
- Mandatory warning signs near active traps.
- Mandatory notification of active trapping for nearby landowners.
- Mandatory ID tags on traps.
- Mandatory reporting of trapping incidents involving domestic animals.
- Setbacks of 1,000 metres from publicly accessible areas and dwellings.
The Fur-Bearers sent an open letter to B.C. Premier David Eby calling for the updates. The charity has also contacted the BC Conservation Officer Service regarding its response to the trapping incident.
The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship told Energeticcity.ca that trappers must comply with strict regulations to ensure that wildlife populations remain healthy and that traps meet humane standards.
The ministry also says it has supported voluntary signage and is considering additional measures to reduce the likelihood of pets being caught in traps.
Those who illegally set traps, do not take required training, or trap improperly can be subject to fines and penalties.
Illegal trapping can be reported to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at 1-877-952-7277 or online.
