Henry Daily Herald

Special Photo An Akita-Husky mixed-breed dog, named Flint, was recently transferred to a no-kill shelter in DeKalb County, after being abandoned and later injured by a trap.

McDONOUGH — An abandoned Akita-Husky, described as “gentle and good-natured,” is in a no-kill shelter in Avondale Estates, after losing his foot and toes in a leg-hold trap in Henry County — one that is normally used to capture wild animals.

The mixed-breed canine, called Flint, sustained the injuries after being caught in a trap set by a Henry County agriculture teacher, who was trying to keep the dog, and his brother, from eating chickens being grown as part of a class project, according to those associated with incident.

Questions are now being raised regarding how Flint, and his brother, were captured.

“The dogs weren’t aggressive at all,” said Therra Gwyn, communications director at Lifeline Animal Project, which operates in DeKalb County. “They would avoid humans, actually. Locals that saw the dogs could tell they needed help.”

Gwyn said four-year-old Flint, and his brother, were roaming and residents last spring to set up traps in an attempt to catch them.

“But these dogs were smart, and they were not able to catch them,” said Gwyn. “Then, the dogs discovered that they could survive by eating chickens that belonged to some people in Henry County. This is not good. Somebody obviously shot them, because we had to remove buckshot from Flint when he arrived at Lifeline Animal Project.”

Gwyn said the pair of dogs had a “dangerous” encounter with an agriculture teacher at a school in Henry County in the spring of 2012. Neither the school, nor the teacher, was identified.

“The agriculture class was raising chickens,” she said. “In order to keep the two dogs away from the chickens, the agriculture teacher decided to set out a steel leg-hold trap that is used to capture wild animals. These traps are very controversial, because they are dangerous to domestic animals and to humans, and they’re very cruel. [The teacher] put one out on school grounds.

“Flint stepped in the trap,” Gwyn continued. “It snapped down on his foot. He was terrified, and pulled the entire contraption loose.”

Flint ran around for almost three weeks, with a trap attached to his leg, but managed to elude rescuers, Gwyn said.

“Finally, a local chicken owner got her own humane trap and she caught him. She turned him over to Henry County Animal Control.”

County spokesperson, Julie Hoover-Ernst, said Henry County Animal Control had received a call to try to retrieve Flint.

“The dog had already been injured by the time Animal Control took it into their custody.” It was Henry County that found the no-kill facility to house the dog.

“He’s very wary of humans after what happened to him,” Gwyn said. “He’s a very noble dog, and he did not deserve what happened to him. I am concerned that any teacher and principal would think that setting out a wild-animal steel trap on school property would be a good idea, especially with all the humane trapping options available now.”