Cops Warn Dog Owners of Disturbing Find Along Appalachian Trail

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has issued a warning to dog and pet owners regarding the Appalachian Trail after a chilling discovery was made.

Last weekend, according to CBS News, a hiker found dog treats stuffed with fish hooks on the North Trail Loop, which leads to the George W. Outerbridge camping shelter in Washington Township.

"Items like these could prove deadly to any animal that consumes them, including wild and domesticated animals," the commission noted.

The shelter, comprised of three walls and one open side, was named after George W. Outerbridge, the second man to hike each section of the Appalachian trail. (The first was Myron Avery.) It’s maintained by the Allentown Hiking Club, which was founded in 1931 and maintains over 10 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

No theories have been publicly shared as to how the hooks materialized. The Allentown Hiking Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Men’s Journal.

Officials are asking anyone who may have information about the baited treats to contact local authorities. Anyone who finds additional harmful treats is urged to call 1-888-PGC-WILD or 1-888-PGC-HUNT immediately.

The Appalachian trail stretches for nearly 2,200 miles, crossing through 14 states from Georgia to Maine. While dogs are allowed throughout most of the trails, they are not allowed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Tennessee and North Carolina; the Trailside Museum and Wildlife Center in Bear Mountain State Park, New York; or Baxter State Park in Maine.

According to the National Park Service, “Dogs must be leashed on the forty percent of the trail that uses National Park Service-administered lands—though we recommend that you keep your dog leashed, particularly to protect you and your dog in the event of an unexpected encounter.”