PALMER, Alaska (AP) – Andre the two-legged dog was rescued last winter when a woman noticed the animal trailing blood across a country road.

Now, the black and brown canine has become a symbol in Alaska for what pet owners and animal lovers say is a gruesome and growing problem: pets accidentally caught in traps and snares meant for wild animals.

Tension between dog owners and trappers has been percolating in Alaska for decades, said Cliff Judkins, chairman of the Alaska Board of Game.

“I don’t know what the long-term answer is to it, really. The Board of Game is caught in the middle between two groups,” he said.

Karen McNaught of Palmer nursed Andre back to health, although she initially didn’t think he would make it.

Now, Andre bounces around her back yard like a pogo stick. The plan is to fit him with artificial legs.

The Alaska Board of Game heard plenty of complaints from trappers last year after it approved restrictions requiring that traps and snares be placed 50 yards off trails and trailheads in Chugach State Park.

The Alaska Trappers Association produced a video a few years ago to help educate the non-trapping public on how to recognize a trap line and release a dog if caught, said association president Randy Zarnke.

“There are irresponsible dog owners and there are irresponsible trappers,” Zarnke said. “Dogs that are not under the control of a human, that is a violation right there. It is easy to criticize the trapper but the dog owner is at least partially at fault.”