Fort Simpson (Dec 05/03) - One mis-step caused Rosie a whole lot of pain a couple of weeks ago, then a second mis-step a few days ago put her through agony all over again.

The one-year-old husky has had two traps snap shut on her front, left paw. On the first occasion she managed to get free of whatever the trap was chained to, but she couldn't release herself from the tight metal bands. Colin Munro, a helicopter pilot, became aware of her plight while on the phone at his hangar in Fort Simpson's light-industrial subdivision.

"I could hear this howling," Munro recalled. "I hung up the phone and went to the door and Rosie was there screaming blue murder."

He and a co-worker had to combine efforts to remove the trap. Munro then took Rosie to the health centre for treatment. Nurse Lois Martin said judging by the extreme swelling and infection, the dog must have been stuck in the trap for at least three days.

"The paw was starting to separate from the skin," said Martin, who regularly treats pets in her spare time.

Antibiotics had been helping the limping canine make progress. Her paw was still swollen but it was gradually getting better, according to Munro.

"Sometimes she'll walk on four legs, but most times not. It depends in how much of a hurry she's in," he said.

That all changed on Tuesday morning. She showed up again with a fresh wound from another trap. This time it was only the tip of her paw that got caught. Still, she could possibly lose a couple of toes.

Munro said he's going to contact a Renewable Resources officer about the traps, which he believes must be within municipal boundaries.

He added that he tracked down Rosie's owner, but that person didn't express interest in caring for her any more.

So now Rosie needs a home.

"She's just a wonderful dog," he said.