Since many fishermen are dog owners and most others probably at least like dogs and have no intention of ever harming someone's pet, I want to share my story of what happened to my Border Collie recently.   I was kayaking on a lake at a State Park in Colorado when I saw my dog pawing at something on the ground.  It turned out to be fishing line and weights, the other end of which apparently had some sort of bait attached to a large hook, which she had swallowed.  After rushing her to a vet clinic some 25 miles away, we were all horrified to see on the X-ray, a 2 3/4 inch fish hook with two barbs very far-down in her esophagus, with one of the barbs hooked into her trachea.  It was too far down to reach with any type of instrument, so surgery was required to remove it.  She was under anesthesia for nearly 3 hours between the two procedures and could have died or had nerve damage or other consequences from the surgery.  She has recovered, but it will take many months for us to pay off the vet bill.  I realize that sometimes a line gets tangled and has to be cut, but I would like to remind fishermen that baited hooks left lying around are potentially lethal to animals of all kinds, and every effort should be made to recover them and dispose of them properly.  And dog owners need to know that there is the potential for your dog finding something edible on the shore that could be attached to a hook, which, if swallowed, could kill them.  I have heard of dogs having to be put down because the owner just could not afford the surgery to remove the hook.   I just hope that anyone reading this will make a conscious effort to keep track of their fish hooks and try not to leave one around for an animal to find.

Amen jboyle.  More than just fishing line/hooks though. I recently started fishing again after not fishing since I was a kid in the upper midwest/plain states. I have been just a catch/release guy, but I frequently go home with a bag of trash (broken glass, soda cans, fishing line, foam coffee cups. Irritates the carp out of me.
It's up to us to clean up after ourselves, but I am frequently cleaning up after others.  I know it’s easy to forget you had a cup, but I think some times it’s not just simple absent mindedness, or worse, lack of caring.

i do the same thing....pick up a bag of trash almost every time out. just thursday morning me and 2 other guys walked up to our cars. we each carried a bag of garbage up with us. the sad part is we didn't even put a dent into it.

me i just call those people that leave junk lazy and inconsiderate

What really irks me is finding litter all over the ground..... ten feet from a trash can! Tom

me i just call those people that leave junk lazy and inconsiderate

That would be putting it mildly!

I find litter all the time at some places I fish.  Found a brand new volleyball about two weeks ago and and an old sneaker about a month ago.

Dude, Im sorry you had to go through that.I love dogs myself and to see your own get hurt by a fishing rig only makes it worst. Im from P.A. and was lucky not to have something like this happen to me or my fishing buddies.I will make you a solemn fisherman promise. Me or anyone around me will never leave any baited hooks or any gear at all behind.I always conplain about litter but on occasion left hooks in trees and stumps I could'nt retreive. If I have to go swiming thats what i'll do. I apologize for not thinking. It won't happen again. Jstratton3 P .S I hope your dog is feeling better.

Something that upsets me is to go fishing on the rivers around here and see all the abandoned limb lines, trot lines and bank sets. I bet I counted upward of 25 on my last trip.
MO law states that if left unattended they must be labeled with owners contact info. Almost all of the ones I find have no info. The lines usually have algae growing on them so you know they are abandoned.
I always remove these but I can't keep up with them all. I myself like setting these types of lines and I hate to think that careless and inconsiderate people may mess up a good thing for us all. These unattended and abandoned lines are a danger to people, live stock, wild animals, outboard motor props etc. Not to mention the waste of fish and other water life that gets caught on them and often left.

I guess we all have had similar experiences.  If we are going to err let's err on the side of safety--not difficult to decide if a line or hook is being attended.  If it is not attended, remove it for the fishermen who may have forgotten.  Be careful!  I was moving in to remove a limb line in running water--only to discover another line nearby in a bush.  I discovered it because it was sunk in the bicep of my left arm.  Thank God for tenus shots.  I can't begin to describe the pain and difficulty in trying to remove a rusty hook while trying to hold the boat in place without tearing the hook from my arm.
Be careful.  Come on guys, if you are going to fish in such a fashion "finish the job".  Uncle Tom

Very glad to hear your dog made a healthy recovery. One thing i do to contribute to keeping my favorite places clean is to make it a point to do about a 1/2 mile shoreline walk while I have bottom lines out for cats whenever the lake is low during the summer. Around here, some water lines can move between 2 and 15 feet at any given point during a summer, depending on the rain and heat. When boating I also spend an extra few minutes scoping out low hanging tree branches for lures and line that have become tangled during a stray cast, or on a windy day. Last summer I think I picked nearly 500 yards of stray line, and what would have been nearly $200 worth of used lures, most of which were like brand new after a cleaning, some new hooks, and a few dabs of my wife's fingernail polish.

Sadly, it's about the same here in NC. On nearly every fishing trip, even to places that are on private property, I see abandoned gear and/or trash. If I have a bag I'll pick up the trash, but I always pick up the gear. Not just for the sake of the animals either; someone's little kid might be with them and we all know how inquisitive little kids are with unfamiliar things.