I wrote the piece below yesterday for a contest at Chuck Wendig’s site (100 word limit). It’s based upon recent news events here in Oregon. To my knowledge, no dog has actually been killed this year here in Oregon by a trap, but a number have been badly injured. There is a petition going around to force trappers to mark their traps, at Kieri’s Law and a horrifying article.
When I hear Sadie yelp, I search frantically until I find her stuck in an otter trap. She looks at me with her soft spaniel eyes, whines softly, and wags her tail. I curse whoever placed the damn thing so close to the river, while I struggle to push the springs apart and pull it away. Freed, she doesn’t move, but her breath stays strong as I slip my jacket under her and carry her in its sling to the car. We race to the vet only to find that her neck is broken and they cannot save her.
