My dog, Dylan, who’s just a little over a year old, gets himself into trouble quite often. When he came in yesterday – his tail wagging a little slower than usual – I followed him. His footsteps were followed with deep, red blood. It was everywhere, draped across the carpet and poured on his bed.

After frantically inspecting him, I found precise, deep wounds on three of his paws, his back one being the worst. My dad helped, and together, we did our best to clean his paws and gave him medication. It was heartbreaking to see my best friend in so much pain.

Because of the wounds’ exactness, the conclusion was made that barbed wire did the deed. Days following the incident, his wounds frequently reopened after being cleaned and inspected periodically, and it’s blatantly clear he’s enduring extensive pain.

Loose barbed wire, or abandoned fencing, can envelop an innocent animal in tremendous, excruciating pain. We live next to Bureau of Land Management land with plenty of open space and have wildlife living in the area. I’m sure many of them have been injured from abandoned fencing. This trauma results in the animal bleeding out slowly in agonizing pain. Unlike Dylan, however, they don’t have access to care and can easily die from the injury.

This problem can be averted simply by being more aware of barbed wire. When putting it up, we all must know the risks it entails, thus keeping it as well-maintained and safe as possible. On our property, we didn’t have any knowledge about the barbed wire being there. It was left by someone before we moved in. Without being cared for and maintained, the wire was waiting for an accident to happen.

Much of La Plata County uses barbed wire, and any that’s abandoned or poorly maintained poses a threat to all wildlife. If there’s any broken or abandoned barbed wire on your property, update or remove it. By choosing an alternative to barbed wire, you’re part of a movement that saves innocent lives and keeps Colorado beautiful.

Ellis McNichol

Durango