SWEETWATER COUNTY– Illegal coyote snares reported to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office have killed one sheepherder’s dog and severely injured two others, Sheriff Mike Lowell said Thursday afternoon.

Lowell said the snares were set in the Sixmile Rim area about 36 miles east of Rock Springs and 11 miles south of Interstate 80, between the Patrick Draw Road and the Bitter Creek Road.

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“The snares were found on private land. Trappers must secure landowners’ permission before setting them,” Lowell said.

The dogs were Great Pyrenees, a large breed often used by sheepherders. Lowell said the Sheriff’s Office range deputy is working with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department to identify those who set the traps.