Dog snared on baited hooks near Vancouver's Grouse Grind trail

RCMP in North Vancouver have issued a warning after a dog was snared by a cruel trap set with baited hooks near the Grouse Grind Trail yesterday morning.

Professional dog walker Hallie Mitchell was out walking her dogs near the Baden Powell trail on Thursday around 10:30 a.m. PT when a two-year-old labradoodle named Kelly left the trail and failed to return when she called it.

"I scrambled up the hill as I heard screaming begin from the dog. At first I didn't know what I was seeing. I just thought I was seeing him leashed through the tree, but as I got closer I realized that he had his face full of hooks and a mass hanging from his face."

She soon discovered the dog had bitten into a piece of meat that was hanging about 1½ metres off the ground.

Mtichell began calling for help, and when several hikers arrived, she was able to get control of the dog and remove several hooks embedded in its mouth. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian and released several hours later without serious injuries.

Police were called in to investigate and the meat was tested but was not found to be poisoned.

They determined the crude trap was made by stringing beef kidneys together with wire and a series of five barbed hooks. The snare was then suspended with rope and duct tape from a stick placed next to a tree.

"This very disturbing incident warrants the police advising the public to be extra vigilant when walking their dogs in that area," said Cpl. Richard De Jong, a spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP.

"The police have conducted a thorough search of the area and did not locate any similar objects."

De Jong said they have no suspects in the incident.

Kelly's owner Christine Smith says he is making a remarkable recovery at home.