A Smiths Falls family is mounting a campaign to warn dog owners about kill traps in a farmer's field that killed their family dog. It's the second dog to be killed in traps set in the eastern Ontario town in the last month.
Stacey Cassell lost his dog Socks when he took her for a routine walk in a farmer's field in Smiths Falls on New Year's Eve. The 11-year-old Labrador Miska wandered off and got caught in a kill trap, chocking her to death.
"She went off a little bit. She was gone. When I went to go look for her, I found her in the trap," Cassell recalled.
"We miss her terribly and we would do anything to have her back."
Although Cassell said he had permission to walk his dog on the property, he told CTV Ottawa he was never made aware of the traps. The farmer who owns the land could not be reached for comment.
The Cassell family has now posted signs along the property, warning others of the potential danger for pets.
The incident marks the second time within the last month that a dog has been killed in traps set in Smiths Falls. In early December, Chris Colton's Border Collie was killed in a trap at a Smiths Falls golf course.
In Canada, it's legal to set traps if you have a license. However, Colton says it's extremely dangerous.
"What's it going to take? Is it going to take a child getting caught in these traps before they do something about it?" he asked.
Meantime, the Colton family wants other dog-owners to be aware of the risks of walking their dogs on similar properties.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kristy Kirkup
