RENO, Nev. (AP) - A group of residents is seeking a change in regulations after at least two dogs recently became caught in traps near a popular Reno-area park.

A group calling itself Trail-Safe is being formed to challenge the legality of trapping around Galena Creek Regional Park just south of Reno, where people like to walk and play with their pets.

On Feb. 1, a steel trap snapped shut along Jones Creek, pinching the folds of flesh on a retriever's face and causing the dog to yelp in pain. The dog was freed unharmed.

In December, a dog became caught in a trap on U.S. Forest Service land along nearby Whites Creek.

In January, another dog owner saw his pet sniffing around a trap on Jones Creek but was able to keep the animal from tripping the device.

Trish Swain, organizer of Trail-Safe, said the incidents have called into question policies regarding animal trapping near popular recreation areas and growing neighborhoods.

"This is deeply troubling to me," Swain told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "We care very deeply for our trails and our hiking and our pets."

Gary Schiff, district ranger for the Forest Service, has asked the Nevada Department of Wildlife to review its trapping policies to ensure the public's safety.

Existing regulations prohibit trapping within 200 feet of public roads or highways but make no mention of hiking trails.

"We're concerned for the safety of the recreating public," Schiff said. "Human safety is paramount."

The incidents were linked to the same trapper, who did nothing wrong, said Dave Patula, a warden who investigated the incidents for NDOW.

The trapper - who voluntarily removed his traps from the area - was properly licensed and followed state regulations, Patula said.

A lack of snowfall has made this winter particularly attractive to trappers across the state, and the busy trapping season has led to a record number of complaints, usually involving mishaps with dogs, Patula said.

"This has been the worst year I've had for complaints about trapping in my 28 years with the agency," said Patula, a former trapper who was unable to provide the number of complaints.

NDOW officials said addressing the issue statewide would be difficult and change could best be achieved on a local level.

Concerned residents said they may approach Washoe County officials with a request to adopt local trapping regulations.

County Parks Director Doug Doolittle said the county will be working with the Forest Service and NDOW to deal with the concerns.

"We have our own concerns regarding the setting of traps near trails," he said.

As more homes are built near the national forest, problems such as the one involving trapping are bound to increase, Schiff said.

"What you get is a rapidly expanding population right up to the forest," Schiff said. "Issues that weren't issues even a decade ago are becoming ones today, and that's going to increase."

Trapping season lasts from Nov. 1 through February. Most trappers are going after bobcats, whose pelts are valued at an average of $300. The demand for pelts for fur coats is high, particularly overseas.