Missoula Dog Caught in Trap

Summary:

Missoula, MT – On the first weekend of December, Missoula resident Alice Bailey went to walk her two dogs on a Miller Creek road. Just past the U.S. Forest Service boundary, Plant Creek Road is a familiar route, and Bailey had no concerns as she watched her pit bull, Peppa, run down to the creek for a drink. Then, she heard Peppa scream. Bailey, followed by her other little dog, ran down to where Peppa was still screaming and thrashing. Bailey realized Peppa was caught in a trap. As the pit bull continued to struggle, Bailey grew more scared when she saw blood coming out of Peppa’s mouth. She would later discover that Peppa had bit through her tongue several times. “It was a leg-hold trap – terrifying. I had my little dog with me too, and he has tiny little legs. I feel like if his leg had been in that, it would have been a different story.”

Good samaritans were able to spring the trap, and Bailey rushed her to the vet. The vet said that in the past, other dogs had suffered terrible injuries, but Peppa was lucky with no broken bones. Later, Bailey called Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to report the incident. Two wardens went to the site and found the trap. Since it was a minimum of 50 feet off the road, the trap was legal, and the wardens told Bailey they’d contact the trapper so he could reset the trap

Result: