Conrad Mahaffey fabricates a “Missy Trap” outside his home on Tuesday. Mahaffey’s CMM Lost Pet Recovery and Humane Trapping has partnered with NMDOG, an Albuquerque-based rescue organization founded in 2010, to distribute the traps across the state. The Missy Traps specialize in capturing skittish dogs that avoid the common box traps. Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Conrad Mahaffey fabricates a “Missy Trap” last week. The Missy Traps are equipped with a side-swinging door, magnetic technology, an invisible light sensor in the rear, cameras and a remote-control trigger option and are much larger than regular box traps, making them able to capture multiple dogs.
Conrad Mahaffey has committed to building and distributing Missy Traps across the state as well as training animal control departments in their use. NMDOG will fund the traps, which cost $1,200.
Conrad Mahaffey fabricates a “Missy Trap” outside his home on Tuesday. Mahaffey’s CMM Lost Pet Recovery and Humane Trapping has partnered with NMDOG, an Albuquerque-based rescue organization founded in 2010, to distribute the traps across the state. The Missy Traps specialize in capturing skittish dogs that avoid the common box traps. Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Two New Mexico animal rescue organizations are joining forces to distribute an innovation in dog trapping to every animal control agency in the state.
NMDOG, an Albuquerque-based rescue organization founded in 2010, and Santa Fe-based CMM Lost Pet Recovery and Humane Trapping hope distributing “Missy Traps” will improve the process of saving lost and homeless dogs across New Mexico.
A Minnesota organization called The Retrievers designed the Missy Trap in 2013 (it’s named for a former puppy mill dog who was captured in it after refusing to enter a conventional trap). The organization freely shares building instructions with others.
Built from horse fence panels, the traps have a side-swinging door, magnetic technology, an invisible light sensor in the rear, cameras and a remote-control trigger option. The traps specialize in capturing skittish dogs that avoid the common box traps. The Missy Trap also is much larger than the box trap and capable of trapping larger breeds or multiple dogs at once.
The idea of using them in New Mexico originated a few months ago, after a dog named Rambo was killed on Interstate 40 near Gallup. City Animal Protection Manager Tiffany Hubbard said Rambo made his home on the freeway’s median, likely after being dumped by an owner. He slept there, played there, visited a nearby local fast food restaurant and a Walmart for food and then ran back to the median as soon as animal control trucks approached.
Box traps weren’t working, and animal control had been trying to trap Rambo without luck since February.
A traveling doctor from Florida, Sergio Sobredo, noticed Rambo in May. Sobredo called Gallup Animal Control, and after hearing his story, decided to email rescue organizations across New Mexico to see if they could help catch the dog.
Conrad Mahaffey fabricates a “Missy Trap” last week. The Missy Traps are equipped with a side-swinging door, magnetic technology, an invisible light sensor in the rear, cameras and a remote-control trigger option and are much larger than regular box traps, making them able to capture multiple dogs.
NMDOG founder Angela Stell received one of those emails, then reached out to CMM founder Conrad Mahaffey, who has been doing humane trap work since 2017. Mahaffey was arranging the trip to rescue Rambo when the dog was hit and killed by a car.
In honor of Rambo, NMDOG and Sobredo donated the funds needed to build New Mexico’s first Missy Trap, which was given to Gallup Animal Control on June 20.
“I’m extremely grateful,” Hubbard said. “I mean, it’s going to be a game-changer for us.”
The remote-control trigger option enables animal control officers to hide out of sight and monitor dogs from afar, which Hubbard said she believes will “help us contain and save a lot more dogs.”
The success in Gallup led to the partnership based on the idea that NMDOG will provide funding (each trap costs about $1,200 to build) and Mahaffey will build and deliver them to every animal control agency in New Mexico.
Mahaffey said he hopes to have more Missy Traps rolled out to other areas in the next four to five months. As he delivers them, he will teach animal control departments how to use them.
Conrad Mahaffey has committed to building and distributing Missy Traps across the state as well as training animal control departments in their use. NMDOG will fund the traps, which cost $1,200.
For now, NMDOG has committed to sponsoring three more traps that will go to Lincoln and Bernalillo counties and the city of Santa Rosa. Stell said NMDOG is writing grants to obtain funding to fulfill the project’s scope.
To reach all 33 counties in New Mexico, the project would need a minimum of $36,000, but Stell said she’s optimistic about their chances of securing funding.
NMDOG also is donating an additional $150 per trap to CMM to account for the time and travel expenses the organization has poured into the effort.
Stell said an instructional video is also in the works.
“Ultimately, I hope that every jurisdiction will have their own Missy Trap and that they’ll be super excited and motivated to utilize it,” Stell said. “I hope that it will help support our advocates, our animal control officers or law enforcement officers out there in the field and prevent tragedies like what happened with Rambo from happening to another dog.”
