Last year, just 300 yards away from their home in Idaho, 14-year-old Canyon Mansfield and his best pal, 3-year-old Labrador Casey, encountered a “cyanide bomb” (M-44 device) – a deadly device intended to control predator activity by spraying deadly sodium cyanide into the mouths of unsuspecting coyotes, foxes and other carnivores lured by smelly bait.

This Idaho teen is lucky to be alive. His beloved dog Casey wasn’t so lucky.

Canyon survived the incident, but only to watch helplessly as the poison killed his dog. Beyond being extremely dangerous and non-discriminating killers, these “cyanide bombs” are paid for by tax-payers like you and me.

The M-44 cyanide trap was planted by Wildlife Services – the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s wildlife-killing program.

To add insult to injury, the government is denying liability and placing blame on the boy rather than apologizing for the injuries caused by the M-44 that a federal worker mistakenly placed near their home.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in documents filed last week that “any injuries were caused by the negligence of the parents and child,” and asked for the family’s lawsuit to be dismissed.