‘I ran the few meters to him and looked into his blue eyes that were filled with absolute terror,’ the dog’s owner, Sean Boxall, recalled
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Published on January 20, 2026 04:27PM EST
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NEED TO KNOW
- Sean Boxall says his 2-year-old Siberian husky died after accidentally stepping in a trap alongside a road in British Columbia
- The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks said it investigated the incident and determined that “no offense had occurred” as the trap was licensed and placed in a legal area with signage
- As a result, Boxall and his partner have created “Moon’s Law”, a proposal for harsher regulations when it comes to traps
A 2-year-old Siberian husky is dead after taking a wrong step on a roadway in British Columbia, Canada.
Sean Boxall, the owner of the dog named Moon, told CTV News and the Calgary Herald that he had driven up Horsethief Creek Forest Service Road, which is located over 170 miles away from Calgary, and got out of his truck to explore an unplowed section of a trail — when the unthinkable happened.
As he walked a short distance from his truck, he noticed “a trapline sign partially obscured by overhanging branches,” which warned of traps in the area. He then called for his dog, who had been walking around un-leashed by his truck, to “come,” and tried to run to grab him, but by then it was too late.
“I saw the trap clamp down directly on his neck, he let out an instant yelp and started to frantically try to free himself,” Boxall recalled to the Herald. “I ran the few meters to him and looked into his blue eyes that were filled with absolute terror.”
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Boxall said his beloved pet had “triggered a freshly baited Conibear trap” along one of the road’s banks, per CTV News. He said he attempted to use his hands to free the dog to no avail, but the effort left his hands torn and bloody, and he was only able to free Moon with a chainsaw, which was used to cut through the trap.
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The dog owner said he performed CPR on the animal, but the canine eventually succumbed to his injuries and died. Boxall told CTV News that Moon “suffered an atrocious and agonizing death.”
The B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks told PEOPLE in a statement that they received a complaint regarding a local resident’s dog that “was killed after being caught in a trap on Crown land west of Radium, B.C.”
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Conservation officers investigated the incident and interviewed the dog owner and trapper and determined that the “trapper was properly licensed, the trapline and area it was placed was legal, and the related trapping season was open.” Officials also told PEOPLE that “warning signage had also been placed in the area” and therefore, “no offense had occurred and enforcement action will not be pursued.”
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“The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) sends its sympathies to the owner for the loss of their pet,” the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Parks said. “People are encouraged to be aware that there are active trapping seasons throughout the winter in various areas of B.C.”
Boxall told CTV News and the Herald that, in light of the incident, he and his partner, Nicole Trigg, created “Moon’s Law,” a proposal for harsher regulations when it comes to traps, including requiring that the traps be moved away from roadways and that they be made easier to open.
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“If you’re driving because you want to get into nature and the winter wonderland in the safety of your car, and you stopped to let your dog out to pee, then this could potentially happen to [you],” Trigg told CTV News.
“The general public should be able to travel freely and safely on our public lands without the possibility of their family and pets being tortured to death in front of them,” added Boxall.
To learn more about Moon’s Law, visit the effort’s Facebook page.
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