Residents of an Ahwatukee neighborhood are fed up with the mysterious person who keeps planting chollas on a popular trail.
David Shumate's dog, Snoopy, caught a cholla twice. He is still recovering.
"All the sudden there is cholla here," Shumate explained. "How’d they get there? And there's one there, and over there, they didn't just show up overnight."
Shumate thinks a fellow neighbor is responsible.
“I guess I know why...because they don’t want anyone on the trail," Shumate said. "So that’s the motivation.”
The Board of Management that oversees the trails and washes in that area is looking into the complaints. Maintenance crews have checked the area for more cholla and cleaned up the trail to keep it safe.
“It’s a hazard," said General Manager Robert Blakesley. "If you’ve ever encountered one it’s not too fun and we do have a lot of people who walk the washes with their dogs or mountain bike."
Shumate and Snoopy are avoiding the trail for awhile.
They hope whoever is planting the chollas will stop.
"He's (Snoopy) gotten so many thorns in him that when we go hiking we bring pliers because he’s almost always gonna get one," he added.
