Pet owners demand trapping signage, regulation near community routes
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on boxing daY, Victoria Lethbridge and her partner took their dog and child out for a morning walk in brand new snowshoes from their home in Hickman Harbor.
His regular walks became shorter, ending in tragedy when his four-year-old pug Winston was caught in a beaver trap set next to the trail and killed.
“It was really painful,” Lethbridge said, unable to get the vivid image out of her mind. “It’s, like, a path I don’t even want to walk on anymore.”
In Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Jason Bennett’s husky Brody got his leg trapped in a spring-loaded leg trap set up in an area behind the 5 Wing Goose Bay military base, where people often go on walks. In this case, Bennett was able to safely free Brody’s leg.
“I’m still very disappointed and upset that people could go and do something like this,” he said. “This is not a place to be stuck by any means. It’s right in town. It’s right on base.”
There are no provincial regulations regarding setting small game traps. Requires warning signs to be displayed on or near community trails.
But these two dog owners are demanding an update on trapping regulation to avoid future pet injuries and deaths.
laws of entrapment and leasing
Trapping is a government regulated activity, carried out as A method of wildlife management and a long-standing part of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. The 2025-2026 Hunting and Trapping Guide states that trappers must have a license and specifically beaver trappers are assigned a certain trapline.
As far as trapping near communal areas, trails or parks, there are no restrictions unless otherwise indicated by the municipality.
CBC News asked for an interview with Plemon Forsey, M.Isister of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands, but issued a statement saying the department would expand the effortInform both trappers and pet owners about how to avoid itThese types of incidents.
It read, “Losing a pet is always difficult and we express our sympathies to the pet owners.”
“We encourage trappers and pet owners to take care during trapping and small game seasons to prevent incidental capture of pets and to avoid conflicts with other outdoor resource users.
The statement also said pet owners are required to control their animals in accordance with provincial and municipal law.
The province’s Animal Health and Protection Act states that all pets must be on a leash when off the owner’s property throughout the province, except on Labrador Inuit lands.
In two recent incidents, both dogs were taken off leash while walking on community trails and close to their owners.
Bennett said his dog is capable of running an average of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, “I can’t do that by keeping him on a leash. I have to let him go and let him run and crunch snow and have fun (…) and get the exercise he needs.”
labrador morning7:15Dog owner warns of traps on popular walking path
A Happy Valley-Goose Bay dog owner is sharing an up-close conversation with his pet. His dog was injured by a trap set on a popular walking trail at Five Wing. He explains what happened and why he’s urging others to be extra cautious.
For his part, Lethbridge said he didn’t let Winston go too far during the walk.
“It would have been different if it was in the woods…it’s a trail we see right across the road from us and we’ve lost a family member because of it.”
Pet owners demand better signage, regulations
Lethbridge wants to see more regulation near community areas and clearer signs to warn pet owners and others about traps in the area.
“If there was just a sign 200 feet out front that said, ‘Trap in area,'” Lethbridge said, “we could have said, ‘Oh, there’s a trap down there, we need to leash him.'”
Pet owners in Newfoundland and Labrador are calling for better trapping regulations near community areas. As CBC’s Julia Israel reports, it comes after two dogs became entangled in wildlife snares over the holidays.
Bennett said he would like trappers to consider the danger they pose to pets in the area.
“This is not something that should happen in the city and in an area where it is common for people to walk their dogs and their pets, right?” He said.
Trapping, a part of NL life
Lethbridge said he spoke to the trapper who set up the beaver trap, who told him he had set it up only a few hours earlier to target beavers that were damaging homes in the area. They expected there would be no one in the area after heavy snowfall on Boxing Day morning.
“He’s taking it pretty hard, just like us,” Lethbridge said. “This has never happened to him before.”
Lethbridge said she understands that trapping is an important part of Newfoundland and Labrador culture and does not condone the practice, but she says a flag or sign could be very helpful in protecting pets in the future.
Messages of support have been pouring in on Lethbridge’s social media from people in the community who sympathize with her loss.
“Winston touched a lot of people’s hearts,” she said. “It really affected the whole community.”
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