When Stray Rescue of St. Louis had been notified about a stray dog wandering the outskirts of Perryville with a five-pound coil spring trap stuck on his rear right leg, no time had been wasted as rescuers drove out to the location to rescue him.
Footage from a Ring camera showed the dog dragging the spring trap hobbling down the road. Donna Lochmann and her team spent nearly a week driving around the area, but the dog didn’t want to be rescued. Every time any of the rescuers would approach, the dog would run away. He cleverly shied away from humane traps.
Of course, Donna has never been one to give up; she knew the dog had been in pain, and the weather had already been forecast to snow as the temperatures dropped.
He needed help. Well, her persistence paid off because she finally rescued him!
Not only did the dog dubbed Behrle have a five-pound coil spring trap (bear trap) painfully stuck to his leg, but he was also missing his front left foot from a previous injury.
His veterinary examination confirmed his rear leg as broken and dead from losing its blood supply. He most likely would have chewed it off while in survival mode. He will have to have the rear leg amputated. Lucky for Behrle however, even without part of his front foot, he still has a pad and uses it. He will be able to keep that leg.
Behrle is no longer a stray. His future looks bright. According to his rescuers he is very shy, but allows everyone to pet him and carry him when needed.
Many thanks to everyone involved in helping this beautiful dog. Please share his story and donate to his recovery if you can.
If you’d like to chip in for his surgery and after-care, it would be greatly appreciated.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, trapping with dog-proof style and other traps are allowed on many conservation areas. A Special Use Permit is required and these must be applied for at least 30 days before trapping begins. Make sure to check with the commission. (Tragically what happened to Behrle is an indication of a poorly planned and employed trap.)
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