SUDBURY -- Kaitlyn Cox is the owner of two dogs, Jim and Hudson. While walking the pair on a popular trail behind her parents’ house recently, Hudson got caught in a rabbit snare. 

"In the bush there’s a bit of a foot path that a lot of people take with their dogs and about three feet off of the path in the deeper snow my dog was trekking through and he yelped and one of my parents had gone over to see what had happened and his paw was stuck," says Cox. 

Thankfully, Hudson only suffered minor injuries. Cox says she is well aware it could have been a lot worse. She never expected something like this would happen, especially so close to home. 

"I was shocked and little enraged because we’ve walked them back here for quite some time now even before we had the dogs, three years walking back in the bush and we’ve never heard of this so it was a bit of a shock," says Cox. 

Officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry say fur harvesting in Ontario is a lawful activity, but they say traps can only be set in certain places. 

"Lawful traps can be set by farmers in their own property without a license or they can be set on a private property by a licensed tapper with the land owner written permission. Registered trappers can also be assigned trap lines in designated areas where they can do lawful trapping," says Kent Moxam, of the MNRF. 

Moxam says fur trapping season is from October to the end of March and he says dog owners need to be careful.

"Responsible pet owners should keep their pets on leashes when on private property or crown land and this would be the best method of avoiding any instances with traps or snares," says Moxam. 

Cox says she is more aware while walking both dogs and is hoping whoever placed the snare so close to the trail will reconsider their location in the future.