Thank goodness there are still a few people in the world who like to stray beyond the reach of the computer mouse and TV remote once in a while. If it weren’t for one such outdoorsy woman, Ava the golden retriever would probably not be alive today.

Macey Roberts was hiking around in southern Utah, not far from Best Friends, looking for Native American artifacts. This part of the country is rich with petroglyphs, monuments, and all sorts of other neat things to see and discover. A literal outdoor museum for history buffs. What Macey found instead was a dog badly in need of help. Ava’s leg was caught in a coyote trap. It seemed like Ava had been there at least a day.

In fact, Ava was lucky indeed that Macey showed up at all. This particular spot was at least five miles from the closest home. (Hooray for hikers!) Macey freed Ava from the trap and then spent a week and a half trying to track down Ava’s family. Ava wasn’t wearing a collar, and no one responded to fliers and newspaper ads. Meanwhile, the vets taking care of Ava thought she would need to lose the injured leg. Macey was not in a position to care for Ava long-term. So after it became obvious that nobody would claim Ava, the pup came to Best Friends to heal.

Talk about adorable! This dog melts hearts on contact. She loves nothing more than to snuggle up and keep you company no matter what you’re doing. Whoever lost this beauty must have been trying to outrun a herd of stampeding wildebeests or something. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Her paw and leg will need some attention before she tries to find a new family. The vets at Best Friends have already done a preliminary surgery to clean out the wound. It’ll be another couple of weeks, though, before they can choose the best course of action. No matter the outcome, Ava is still one lucky dog even after all she’s been through. Thanks to Macey for bringing back a much greater treasure than any souvenir you could hope to find!

Story by David Dickson
Photos by Gary Kalpakoff

Special care for dogs like Ava is made possible through your donations. Thank you for being a part of Best Friends.

March 27, 2009 : 1:53 PM ET
posted by: mom

Watch Nat Geo's DOGTOWN to see how Ava is doing! New season starts March 20, 2009. Ava's story is on the April 3 episode " Starting Over". Keep supporting BF! Their loving work and care is incredible!

May 17, 2008 : 6:03 PM ET
posted by: lost_cali_girl

Ava is such a lucky girl. She's had some trouble but thanks to Macey and the people at BF's she's getting the love and care she deserves. And she's a beautiful girl

May 13, 2008 : 12:34 PM ET
posted by: pmurrell

Does anyone know how to get an update on Ava to see how she is doing? I am sure a lot people would like to know.

May 10, 2008 : 12:53 PM ET
posted by: GIGGLES

Best of luck to Ava in her recovery. She will be adopted with three legs or four. She's so beautiful. We are also against leg trapping of animals. The suffering the traps cause is so inhumane.

May 4, 2008 : 9:26 PM ET
posted by: iluvcats

Ava is beautiful! She is so lucky to be at Best Friends!

April 16, 2008 : 9:32 PM ET
posted by: tripleransom

Years ago, one of our barn cats went missing for a couple of days and when he came back, it was evident that he had been caught in a leg-hold trap. We rushed him to the vet where his leg had to be amputated. This was in the 1970s and it was very unusual back then to do such a thing--most people would have just had him put to sleep. As I recall, it cost more than $200, which was a lot of money back then. He made a great recovery and could even climb the hayloft ladder with only one front leg! I've hated leg-hold traps (and all trapping) ever since. I've never worn real fur because of that experience.

April 16, 2008 : 11:54 AM ET
posted by: kittychump

I'm with you, Alissa Morgensen a.k.a. veggiegonnabe!! I wish more grownups were as wise and right-on as you are at age 12!

The folks who manufacture & sell - and profit from - those traps, let alone the folks who buy them and set them out - should all get a taste of their own medicine!!!!!

There is no need and no excuse for these barbaric and vicious traps. Thank GOODNESS this darling doggie was being watched over from above & was discovered by a lover of nature and of critters. And, above all, thank goodness this little darlin' pup-girl is at BF!!!

April 13, 2008 : 10:57 AM ET
posted by: veggiegonnabe

I want the people who invented those traps to get their leg or arm caught in one of them, we'll show them how much it hurts!

Alissa Mogensen, 12 yrs. old

April 10, 2008 : 2:13 PM ET
posted by: rmlamasney25

What a cruel, twisted thing to do to a living creature. The hunter's lobbies are so entrenched. Here in NJ the BEAR group fought long and hard to ban the hunting of black bears. The hunters overrode one year, and killed any bear regardless of age, weight etc. A cub was shot and ran out onto the highway. Many commuters stopped their cars to try to help, but the baby died, frightened and in pain, on the asphalt. I was proud to be a protester with BEAR, despite harrassment and arrest, and we did make a difference: no more black bear hunts in NJ (though we must be vigilent). Ava's sweet, sensitive face should make her the poster girl for all animals, against traps.

April 10, 2008 : 11:19 AM ET
posted by: jjcoers

This whole topic makes me sick, as do trappers & hunters. I cannot understand man's inhumanity to animals.

Ava is a true beauty, and the thought of her suffering that painful injury, alone in the wild, breaks my heart.

What can we do? Where do we start? Best Friends, can you put something on the site to help us get started?

April 10, 2008 : 10:41 AM ET
posted by: Fuzzymuffin

It is illegal here to trip or unset a trap, so you have to be careful about who you tell.

Illegally set traps result in many dog deaths here. Heck, the state allows the traps to be set only 300 feet from trails. That's only 100 yards! In this state they cater to the hunting/trapping/fishing groups to the detriment of the rest of us. Trappers are not even required to post a sign of any kind and these are NOT wilderness areas. The dog in this story died because of a conibear trap illegally set in a popular hiking area. http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/03/16/news/top/news01.txt And for DOG's sake, what animal is going to be living and hanging out in places where lots of people are?

Here's another story where the trapper blames the dog: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/02/09/news/local/news02.txt

I am finding stories where vets claim that the number of injuries has increased 500 times in recent years in Montana.

The trappers themselves obviously won't change their behavior. Their mentality is such that they regard animals as products and our pets as an obstacle. People will have to lobby in their own states for laws that limit trapping. Realistically, you can't get rid of the trapping and trappers, as it is regarded by lawmakers as an industry. But if you can force the trappers into really remote areas the lazy ones won't be able to get there easily. That would be the best thing to aim for.

Robin

April 10, 2008 : 8:15 AM ET
posted by: skernyat

Yeah! Years ago I was driving on a very busy four-lane highway. In the medium between the north and southbound lanes was a dog. I pulled over and dodged the cars to find he had a trap on his foot! I had no idea how to spring it or how I would carry a 55 pound dog across two lanes of traffic. So I put on my best "helpless girl" face and finally another car pulled over. The man sprang the trap and said I should just let the dog go - he'd find his way home! Well I took the dog to the vet and put an ad in the paper but no one called. My landlord said the dog had to go. Finally I found a vet who agreed to put him in his waiting room for a month to see if he could find him a home. There are so many obstacles for these poor guys who get lost or are left to their own devices. Thank you for helping.

April 10, 2008 : 5:31 AM ET
posted by: isabel

I walk every morning and often worry that I will run across and injured animal and fret about what I would do. I am soooooo glad that Macey was there for Ava. Thank you :)

April 9, 2008 : 6:04 PM ET
posted by: marys

As long as the good ole' boys around these areas make a small fortune trapping coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, etc. they will not stop trapping nor will they listen to reason. It is just sick and I doubt that even laws would help, as they go very remote. I have attempted to find out who buys these furs, and am told that it is very easy to sell them to many sources, but cannot get more specifics (while trying to be "detective"). I love to go hiking just to find and retrieve the traps. Unfortunately, they have endless supplies.

April 9, 2008 : 5:48 PM ET
posted by: rzmoon

Unfortunately, the area around Moab in eastern Utah, prime hiking grounds, are also full of leg hold and snare traps that many dogs have been caught in. A year ago, when members of Grand County Town Council went to the state Division of Wildlife to try and negotiate to have traps set further from campground and hiking trails, to have signage warning the public, and to ban traps from high use areas, they were rebuffed. It is really something to be aware of and concerned about.