Releasing Your Dog From a Trap.

Be prepared for the unthinkable -- it could save your dog's life!!

A regular long spring trap, coil spring trap or snare is generally easy to get an animal out of.

In all cases, cover the dog's head with a shirt or jacket to act as both a muzzle and to calm the dog down. Though your dog may be friendly, most dogs will bite reflexively when in pain. While the trap may not be hurting the animal, it will scare him, and when you release the springs of the trap, blood will rush back into the foot and it may sting sharply for a moment.

	This is a typical coil spring leg hold trap. The trap can be released by stepping down on the spring to the left and right of the center pan.
	This is a typical long spring leg hold trap. The trap can be released by stepping down on the leaf spring to the left of the center pan. Double leaf springs will have springs on both sides -- step on both of them at once, as you would a coil spring trap.
	This is a conibear trap, and if your dog is caught in one, it is in serious trouble, as this trap is designed to kill. See instructions below on how to release an animal from this kind of trap -- it is difficult and time is of the essence!

Releasing Your Dog
From a Conibear Trap

The Conibear Trap- Shown in sprung position. Carry 2 long, strong, boot-type shoestrings with you at ALL times.
To release the trap, tie one end of a shoestring to the top loop of the spring where it runs along the jaws, run the shoestring through the bottom spring loop and then back through the top spring loop.
Then, stand on the trapchain, pinning the trap to the ground and haul up on the shoestring This will compress the spring. Pull and take up the shoestring until both sides of the spring meet. Tie off the shoestring and repeat the process on the other side of the trap, if necessary.

In the picture at the top, the trap is set and ready to kill your dog.

#1 are the springs. They are very powerful and when they are triggered, they push the pivoted jaws closed -- the X at the pivots widens.

#3 are the jaws. They do the crushing.

#2 are simple safety catches you put on while you are setting the trap in place. They swing off once that is done -- safety off and the trap is ready to fire.

#5 is the "dog" or bit of metal that holds the jaws together. It is under a lot of pressure and has a very shallow, rounded groove in it that hold one jaw against the other.

#4 is the trigger. These are thin stiff wires that the animal presses into as it enters the den. Once these wires are bumped, they slip the piece called the dog (#5) loose and the four pairs of jaws come down (#3) under the crushing drive of the springs (#1).