Warning after dog is caught in snare

A dog owner is warning others to take extra care when walking their pets after her son’s dog was caught in an animal snare.

And she is urging people to get involved in the League Against Cruel Sport’s campaign for the total ban on the manufacture, sale and use of all snares.

Linda Goreham was walking along a woodland footpath in Humbletoft, Dereham, with her son Owen’s dog Tich and her own border terrier Oz, when the tragedy happened – leaving Tich crying for help as he lay trapped by a metal snare for about half an hour.

“We were walking with some friends and their dogs. My two dogs strayed from the path and I thought they would catch us up. But when we walking back only Oz was waiting for me on the footpath and I could hear Tich crying in the distance,” said Mrs Goreham. 60, about the incident which happened in late April.

She was wearing sandals and so could not get across the boggy woodland area to reach Tich. After dashing home to change, Mrs Goreham returned to the footpath near Sandy Lane with her husband Robin, 47, and her son Owen, 35, to search for Tich.

“We found him against a fence barking and crying. He had a metal loop around his neck. It was like a metal noose attached to the fence. It could have strangled him. I was heartbroken when I saw him. I was in tears,” said Mrs Goreham, who has three children and three grandchildren.

Thankfully they were quickly able to loosen the noose from Tich’s neck and, although traumatised by being trapped for about half an hour, was physically unharmed.

Mrs Goreham said he was back to his normal self the next day but that she was angry the snare had been put there.

“I have no idea who put it there but he was on the public side of the fence. There must be more because I cannot believe there would only be one. It is so cruel what about the poor wild animals who will have nobody to come and rescue them if they get trapped?

“I won’t let my dogs off their leads down there now just in case they get caught in another one. It is a shame because it was a lovely walk for them. This incident has greatly perplexed me and I am gravely concerned about the barbarity of employing such devices. If other people agree with me I urge them to contact the League Against Cruel Sports.”

While many people believe snares are already illegal, some types of snares are still allowed in the UK, although they have to

A spokesman for Norfolk Police said the incident happened on April 23 and is now being dealt with by the police’s wildlife liaison officer.

Both Breckland Council and the RSPCA said there had not been any other reports of snares being used in the Dereham area recently.