Would a legal snare seriously hurt a dog?

[WeAllHaveWings]

dh was walking ddog in a drained reservoir next to a farm/farm land. Its very popular with dog walkers. Generally everyone walks around the top of the reservoir edges as the middle is a bit swampy, but our dogs do run in the basin (and come back happy but filthy!)

When dh/ds were walking this morning there was a man with wire/twine hanging from his belt. The man was walking about the basin and every now and again going down to the ground and doing something. We can't think what he has doing so guessing he was setting or checking snares? dh went back (after dropping of ddog and ds) and checked where the man had been but couldn't find anything.

Checked the internet and the Police Scotland site says snares are legal for pest control when set by a trained and registered person.

Assuming they are legal snares, anyone know if they would seriously injure a dog? (there is all the information about how the snares need to be "free running" with "safety stops" which I don't understand).

[Owllady]

You say its on farmland. If it is footways (public) or permissive, you should still lead your dog
I have no idea tbh. But the farmer by us puts so much slug and pesticide down, I wouldn't let my dog . Loose on his field/s anyway

[WeAllHaveWings]

its not actually owned by the farmer or farmed, but is surrounded by fields, well fenced off so dogs cannot get to livestock. not sure who owns it, but its a public right of way.

[cathpip]

My friends dog did get caught in a snare, he was fine but yes they can cause serious damage. Snares have to be checked every 24 hours to stop unnecessary suffering. Public rights of way and footpaths are literally just that, a small track/footpath, any dog wandering off the footpaths etc are trespassing. We have a very grumpy game keeper in our village that delights in shouting at every dog owner!

[RustyBear]

Is there any water left in the reservoir? Could he have been setting lines for eels?

[WeAllHaveWings]

No water in reservoir, was drained a few years back, but still a bit soggy. Spoke to the Sspca and they say the law in Scotland changed last year and they are no longer allowed to put rabbit snares on fences incase the poor wee bunny hangs itself, they need to be on open ground and as long as landowner has given permission nothing can be done. That's probably why they are now been put down in the basin.

There are lots of dogs run through that grass everyday and no one knows they are there and could seriously injure their dog. It's quite difficult to walk too and /high banked. I wouldn't want to have to carry a 30kg injured lab up the banks. You would think they'd at least put a sign up!

There are wild deer first thing in the morning too.

It's a shame as its 10 mins walk from the houses, very enclosed and a great place for the dogs to play and do recall training.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Anyone know how I find out who owns the land to ask if they have snares in it? If it isn't snares I can still walk there, if it Is i can try to warn other dog walkers.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

People are supposed to check their snares every 24 hours, but it doesn't always happen. Whe incas a teenager, one of our cats went missing for two,or three days. When she came back, she had the wire of a snare tight around her rib cage and had chewed through the peg to escape.

She was lucky it caught where it did - if it had been round her neck or abdomen, she'd have died before she could have got free.