Hiker and her dog got caught in an animal trap, steps away from walking trail

"He was only caught in there about a minute and I was only caught in there for about it minute, but it was excruciating pain. I thought he'd gotten a porcupine, but as I got closer I saw that he had a trap on his foot," said Black Hills resident, Dede Ferrar.

Dede and her dog Tiger were just about to finish their hike near Seth Bullock Fire Lookout Tower. That's when she heard Tiger screaming in pain. She ran over to him and realized his paw was caught in a trap.

"I was still panicking and not thinking exactly clearly. So I used my fingers to pry it off of his paw and it wasn't easy and I couldn't do it without getting my own fingers caught in the trap. So there I was down on the ground trapped. It hurt really bad, really bad and I was still in a panic and I cried out to God to help me because I didn't know what to do in that second," said Farrar.

After pushing down on the side levers of the trap, she was able to release herself.

'We weren't tromping off the trail. There shouldn't be a trap that is a footstep off of a trail. It was a terrible, traumatic experience. One that I wasn't expecting. Especially being on this trail that is popular," said Farrar.

South Dakota Game Fish and Parks are in charge of monitoring traps and said on public land, people are allowed to set their traps anywhere.

Farrar was told by Game Fish and Parks to put the trap back since it was someone else's property. Farrar returned the trap to where she and Tiger got injured.

"Imagine something snapping you shut. I mean it's designed to hold you and not let you go. At first, I didn't want to bring back the trap because it hurt me and it hurt my dog... but I returned the property," said Farrar.

Farrar has been hiking in the Black Hills almost every day for 35 years and said she's never experienced anything like it.

In the end, neither Dede or Tiger suffered major injuries, but she said the painful experience should be a good reminder for trappers to be smart, and for hikers to be on alert.

"People keep saying be careful but there's no way you can really be careful. Keep enjoying yourself and don't be too paranoid but realize that stuff can happen," said Farrar.

Wild Life Conservation Officer, Chris Decker, said the trap was most likely set by an amateur trapper. Decker said if you find a trap and are concerned about its whereabouts, you can reach out to Game Fish and Parks.