Man abandons dog on mountain, it gets rescued, now wants it back.

[aGameOfThrones]

A 29-year-old man is expected to face a charge of animal cruelty after he abandoned his dog on a Colorado mountain, the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office officials said Friday.

Anthony Joseph Ortolani told The Denver Channel earlier that he was forced to leave his German shepherd named Missy on the snow-capped peaks of Mount Bierstadt Aug. 5, when a storm moved in and he became worried for the safety of a younger hiker who was with him.

He said his dog's feet were cut up from walking on sharp rocks and it could no longer walk.


Scott Washburn and his wife, Amanda, found Missy Aug. 11, while they were on a leisurely hike up Mount Bierstadt.

"We were hiking to this ridge and we got off course and I was a little ahead of my wife," he said. "She called out to me and said, 'Hey I found a dog,' and figured I misheard her 'cause there was no way a dog was where we were."

"We knew we weren't going to be able to get her out by herself," said Washburn. "Her paws were completely raw and her elbows were torn up."

Washburn got together a group of eight volunteers and the group headed back up the mountain that Monday morning. The group found the dog with all of its wounds Washburn had tried to bandage reopened. The rocks around the dog were covered in blood, and the dog was back cowering beneath the surrounding rocks.

The group of eight hikers traveled through a full-blown snowstorm that broke out during their hike. Eventually, after a nine-hour rescue mission, the group successfully managed to bring back the broken and bruised dog in a hiker's oversized backpack.

Washburn and his wife, as well as other members of the rescue team, would now like to adopt Missy, Washburn said. But Ortolani is asking for his dog back.

Clear Creek County Sheriff's Sgt. Rick Safe said "the dog was basically abandoned up there."

"He [Ortolani] made no initial attempt. After three days, he thought the dog was deceased so he made no attempts to reclaim the dog," Page said.

The sheriff's department also has a rescue team, and other hikers told them about Missy being stranded on Mount Bierstadt during the weekend. However, the rescue team was unable to respond because it is solely reserved for human rescues.

(understandable)

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/man-faces-animal-cruelty-charge-abandoning-dog-colorado-230459473--abc-news-topstories.html

[Meatwasp]

He should not have him back.

[phill4paul]

What about 'abandoned' does this jack-wagon not understand.

[Origanalist]

Why? So he can take her on another hike up in the mountains?

[Meatwasp]

My sons would have been up the mountain the next day recuing their dog.

[thehungarian]

What a pathetic person. It is his own fault for losing the dog in the first place.

[specsaregood]

So you guys think he should have risked the life of the young hiker with him in order to not "abandon" the dog? Interesting. I say leave it up to the dog; I bet the dog chooses the original owner.

[aGameOfThrones]

So you guys think he should have risked the life of the young hiker with him in order to not "abandon" the dog? Interesting. I say leave it up to the dog; I bet the dog chooses the original owner.

No, but...


"We understand that he had to leave her there. My wife and I did the same thing. But we ended up going back for her, and we went to some pretty extreme lengths to do so. In my opinion, that is not a responsible dog owner, who doesn't really care about her."

And then he says...


But Ortolani is asking for his dog back.

After...


"He [Ortolani] made no initial attempt. After three days, he thought the dog was deceased so he made no attempts to reclaim the dog," Page said.

[Meatwasp]

So you guys think he should have risked the life of the young hiker with him in order to not "abandon" the dog? Interesting. I say leave it up to the dog; I bet the dog chooses the original owner.
Did you read that he didn't come back for three days. He should have asked people to help him bring the dog down the second day.

[Uriah]

I would have went back for the dog the next day. It's not hard to put together a rescue team, as evidenced by the couple that found the dog six days after being abandoned.

[Meatwasp]

He also said he thought he was dead. B.S. the dog only had ripped up paws. I had bear dogs come down here skin and bones as their owners left them for 2 weeks.

[Uriah]

He also said he thought he was dead. B.S. the dog only had ripped up paws. I had bear dogs come down here skin and bones as their owners left them for 2 weeks.

I had a dog trek home a couple miles after being shot in the leg. If it can make the journey, it will. But that doesn't mean it is dead.

[Agorism]

He will pay the rescue bill?

[BSU kid]

Was anybody on this forum on the mountain that day? I doubt it, it is hard to judge a persons action when all you get is a short and biased article from the MSM. This could have been a terrible storm, and the dog owner had to make a choice between a human life and his dog and he chose the human life. He probably should have gone back up and looked for the dog, but perhaps the storm was so bad that he thought there was no way the dog made it.

[Meatwasp]

Was anybody on this forum on the mountain that day? I doubt it, it is hard to judge a persons action when all you get is a short and biased article from the MSM. This could have been a terrible storm, and the dog owner had to make a choice between a human life and his dog and he chose the human life. He probably should have gone back up and looked for the dog, but perhaps the storm was so bad that he thought there was no way the dog made it.
I have no problem on him rescuing the young hiker. The storm might have been bad ,but dogs survive a lot of hardships.
It didn't stop other people from finding him though.
Yes it is a story written by the MSM and it could be iffy.

[Chester Copperpot]

If it was my dog, I dont think there would be any way I would leave it alone on that mountain. Id take all the crap out of my backpack and put my dog in it.

[BSU kid]

I have no problem on him rescuing the young hiker. The storm might have been bad ,but dogs survive a lot of hardships.
It didn't stop other people from finding him though.
Yes it is a story written by the MSM and it could be iffy.

Yes you are right in that he should have gone back up. I am just little snippy after I read one sided articles from Yahoo lol. :D

[osan]

If my dog was so injured, I would carry him. I would probably see my own ruin before abandoning my boy. Therefore, IMO the owner is a filthy coward and should do the gene pool a favor and remove themselves from the roles of the living.

I find it almost impossible to abide cowards and hypocrites. But that's just me.

All this, of course, assuming the posted story is essentially precise and complete... which it may not be.

[MelissaWV]

I haven't heard the guy offer to compensate everyone for the pains they took to mount a rescue effort.

[Origanalist]

I haven't heard the guy offer to compensate everyone for the pains they took to mount a rescue effort.

Good point, in this case the dog should be kept as compensation since none were offered.

[Bastiat's The Law]

Stupid people shouldn't own animals.

[Bastiat's The Law]

Very cute doggie.

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/o.F__dhf25MiiVz7IjlkuQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/gma/Reuters/ht_missy_dog_rescue_tk_120816_wmain.jpg

[Kylie]

I know I'm armchair quarterbacking here, but I probably would have perished on the mountain with my dog if I were in the same position. Unless the dog ran off and I couldnt find him, I see no good reason not to make accomodations for the dog. I mean, look, another hikers went up there and put the dog in a backpack. Why could the owner not do that? Or have the younger hikers help carry the dog back down?

Some people just don't think. Others just don't seem to care.

[brandon]

Give the guy his dog back. When you find a lost dog it doesn't somehow make you the owner...these people are pretty arrogant to think otherwise IMO.

[Chester Copperpot]

This so-called owner sounds like the same kind of person who, when a dog gets too old and feeble and care becomes "inconvenient" that he simply gets rid of the dog.

My dog is 13. And he's starting to show some signs of age.. Ill be damned if I'd ever abandon him in his time of need.

Fuck this guy.

Ill go on a limb here and say that this dog's right to life supersedes that mans right to his property.

[phill4paul]

Colorado law:

COLORADO STATUTES
TITLE 18. CRIMINAL CODE
ARTICLE 9. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC PEACE, ORDER, AND DECENCY
PART 2. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS


18-9-201. Definitions

As used in sections 18-9-202 and 18-9-202.5, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Abandon" means the leaving of an animal without adequate provisions for the animal's proper care by its owner, the person responsible for the animal's care or custody, or any other person having possession of such animal.

(1)(a) A person commits cruelty to animals if he knowingly or with criminal negligence overdrives, overloads, overworks, tortures, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance, unnecessarily or cruelly beats, needlessly mutilates, needlessly kills, carries or confines in or upon any vehicles in a cruel or reckless manner, or otherwise mistreats or neglects any animal, or causes or procures it to be done, or, having the charge or custody of any animal, fails to provide it with proper food, drink, or protection from the weather, or abandons it.
(b) Any person who intentionally abandons a dog or cat commits the offense of cruelty to animals.

(2)(a) Cruelty to animals is a class 1 misdemeanor.

[Ender]

The title of the OP is ridiculous. It sounds like the dog owner said "See ya" to the dog and went on a happy hike.

Sure is a lot of judging on this thread by people who know NOTHING about the situation as it occurred. And probably half of you couldn't even climb the mountain.

How dangerous was the weather? Was the younger hiker having serious problems? Could the dog-owner really take care of another person and the dog? If the younger hiker had died or suffered severe consequences while the man saved his dog, what would everyone be saying now?

I love my animals and they mean more to me than I can say- but if I had to choose between a human being and my dog- I would have to save the other person and so would you.

And if the dog owner really thought his dog was dead, he may have been suffering from tremendous guilt and depression- to further punish him because he made what seemed like the right decision at the time, is nonsense.

And the choice to where the dog goes should be up to the dog.

MHPOV- of course.

[Son of Detroit]

And the choice to where the dog goes should be up to the dog.


Yes, they should ask him.

[Meatwasp]

The title of the OP is ridiculous. It sounds like the dog owner said "See ya" to the dog and went on a happy hike.

Sure is a lot of judging on this thread by people who know NOTHING about the situation as it occurred. And probably half of you couldn't even climb the mountain.

How dangerous was the weather? Was the younger hiker having serious problems? Could the dog-owner really take care of another person and the dog? If the younger hiker had died or suffered severe consequences while the man saved his dog, what would everyone be saying now?

I love my animals and they mean more to me than I can say- but if I had to choose between a human being and my dog- I would have to save the other person and so would you.

And if the dog owner really thought his dog was dead, he may have been suffering from tremendous guilt and depression- to further punish him because he made what seemed like the right decision at the time, is nonsense.

And the choice to where the dog goes should be up to the dog.

MHPOV- of course.

Sorry but you are wrong headed. He should have went up with help the next day. I hope the guy has to pay a fine.

[Meatwasp]

My sons were all three in Search and rescue when they were young. You better beleave they would have been up that mountain to recue the dog. Anyway that guy looks like he was a bad hiker and shouldn't have gone up by his self

[aGameOfThrones]

Give the guy his dog back. When you find a lost dog it doesn't somehow make you the owner...these people are pretty arrogant to think otherwise IMO.

He abandoned the dog, after 6 days it was rescued by people who actually gave a damn. The "owner" didn't even make an attempt to go back for the dog.

[heavenlyboy34]

Stupid people shouldn't own animals.They shouldn't breed either, but they do. ;) :(

[malkusm]

Thought experiment: What if the property left on the mountain were an inanimate object (a watch, some jewelry). Let's assume that the same factors are in play: The original owner, caught in a harrowing storm, purposefully left the items there in order to shed weight. After a week, he's made no attempt to return to the location where he dropped these items, and readily admits this.

You are walking along the path and you pick up the abandoned items. Can you pick them up and keep them?

I vote yes.

[Ender]

Here's a bit more details on the story; makes a little more sense now:

Dog owner forced to leave German Shepherd Missy on mountain to save his own life charged with animal cruelty

Anthony Joseph Ortolani, 29, is accused of leaving his 112-pound dog Missy on one of Colorado's tallest mountains after a storm moved in. Missy could not walk due to severe lacerations on her paws. Ortolani and another hiker had no choice but to get to safety on the 14,065-foot Mount Bierstadt without her because of her injuries.

Ortolani claims he called 911 to get help for Missy.

He posted on an online forum: 'I called 911, the sheriff's office and search and rescue and I was told that it was to risky for them to send rescue crew up there for a dog,' he said, adding that 'thinking about her suffering was awful beyond words'. Sheriff's officials say they did receive a call on August 4 from someone asking them to help the dog, but they do not send out search teams for animals.

Missy managed to survive for eight days on the craggy peak at about 13,000 feet before a group of hikers found and carried her out in a backpack on Monday. The pooch was described as being severely dehydrated and having trouble breathing.
The rescue operation was made possible thanks to Scott Washburn, who came across the bloodied dog with his wife and then mobilized a group of fellow hikers to save her. He wants to keep the dog, alleging that Ortolani lacks the ability or compassion to care for the creature, which went without food and water for over a week.

But Mr Ortolani said he didn't abandon the animal, an oncoming storm forced him to choose between staying by her side and perishing, or going down the mountain without her. He said he and a friend spent two hours trying to get Missy down, but with encroaching clouds and mounting fear, they made the difficult decision to leave her behind as he could not carry her.

Washburn and his wife Amanda discovered Missy on August 11, wounded and near-death atop a mound of bloodied rocks.
They gave her food and water and tried to get her out, using their first aid kit to bandage her wounds, but the animal's paws were too damaged to walk and she was too heavy for them to carry on their own. 'My wife broke down crying at the thought of leaving the dog to die,' Washburn told ABC7. They posted a photograph of Missy on the 14ers.com, a social network for mountain climbers.
Immediately, dozens of people tapped into her plight and opted to organize a rescue for the dog - at the same time, wondering who could be so cruel as to bring an animal to the top of a mountain and leave it there.

Eight volunteers banded together to rescue Missy, launching a nine-hour mission to find and recover her. They found her just before a snowstorm was setting in and put her in an over-sized backpack to remove her from her perch.

A veterinarian volunteered to take her in and found that the dog miraculously had no fractures, no internal injuries nor other permanent damage from the ordeal. 'Her survival and shear will to live are astounding by any measure,' Mr Washburn said.

The Washburns grew attached to the dog, but that's when her owner entered the picture - happy his dog had been saved and embarrassed he wasn't the one who came to her rescue.

'I am at a complete loss of words. My gratitude for the people involved in this is without measure,' Mr Ortolani posted on 14ers.comhttp://14ers.com/.

He asked for the name of the clinic Missy was being treated at so he could be reunited with her and reimburse them for healing her.

Reading the mounting messages of disdain for his treatment of the dog, he explained his actions. 'Missy was hurt during an attempt at crossing the Sawtooth. It was Missy, a friend and I,' he said. Her injuries made it impossible for her to walk, so the two hikers tried to lower her from boulder to boulder with ropes, but she was getting hurt worse and worse.

'Eventually she just stopped standing or moving at all and I knew she was pretty badly hurt,' he said.

'I picked her up on my shoulders and was hopping from boulder to boulder but I couldn't keep her on me.'
They spent two hours trying to get her down, but with encroaching clouds and mounting fear, they made the difficult decision to leave her behind.

He convinced himself she had died of her injuries to cope with the guilt of leaving her.
'All I can say is that I am relieved that she is okay,' he said on the message board. 'I am ashamed that it wasn't me who got her off of the mountain, I underestimated the good will and resolve of the hiking community of Colorado, and I am eternally grateful.'

He said that in the days after he left her, he searched the internet for 'dog found on Bierstadt' every days, but didn't find anything.
He had just about given up hope when he read about her heroic rescuers and her good fortune.

'I can't bring you all there to when I made that choice and what was going through my head. My kids, my friends son, a lot. I do know that I do want my Missy Girl back. I also know that there are many people that think I don't deserve her back. I can tell you that she would be very happy to see me. I have learned a lot and I am convicted to never let this happen again. Missy is getting another chance, I am asking the same,' he said.

'I am not proud of leaving Missy. I did what I thought was right at the time to protect myself and the teenager that I was with,' Ortolani wrote in an earlier post. 'People say that I should have stayed there and sent my friends son to get help. I was responsible for him, and I was not leaving him there alone with clouds growing over Bierstadt, and I was not going to send him off alone with absolutely no cell service.'

He said he called the Sheriff’s Office for help. Sgt. Rick Safe confirmed the office received his call on August 5, but told him they did not have the manpower or equipment to conduct a search and rescue mission for the animal, according to NBChttp://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/48706502/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/ - .UC7Kwqrk2tQ.


Still, Mr Washburn thinks that Mr Ortolani is an unfit dog-owner and that he can offer a better life to Missy. He said that he understands Mr Ortolani's choice to leave her, but not his choice not to return. 'My wife and I had to abandon her as well. When we found her on Saturday we knew that we would be unable to bring her out ourselves and with extremely heavy hearts we left her on a rock knowing that she may die,' Mr Washburn said. 'Despite being forced to abandon her, we came back for her.'

Ortolani is scheduled to appear in court on October 16, and a judge will ultimately decide who will get custody of Missy, Safe said.
If convicted, the 29-year-old man could face up to 18 months in prison and may be forced to pay a fine as high as $5,000.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190092/Mount-Bierstadt-Man-left-dog-mountain-save-life-CHARGED-animal-cruelty.html#ixzz243HgYr6x

[heavenlyboy34]

Thought experiment: What if the property left on the mountain were an inanimate object (a watch, some jewelry). Let's assume that the same factors are in play: The original owner, caught in a harrowing storm, purposefully left the items there in order to shed weight. After a week, he's made no attempt to return to the location where he dropped these items, and readily admits this.

You are walking along the path and you pick up the abandoned items. Can you pick them up and keep them?

I vote yes.
You could, but the right thing to do is turn it in to the park's lost and found or perhaps advertise in the local paper that you found the items. (of course, in the latter case it's wise to leave out specific details of the item so some random person can't claim it)

[Kylie]

Thought experiment: What if the property left on the mountain were an inanimate object (a watch, some jewelry). Let's assume that the same factors are in play: The original owner, caught in a harrowing storm, purposefully left the items there in order to shed weight. After a week, he's made no attempt to return to the location where he dropped these items, and readily admits this.

You are walking along the path and you pick up the abandoned items. Can you pick them up and keep them?

I vote yes.


Not an equal. One is inanimate property, the other a living being.

[The Free Hornet]

18 months in prison will teach him to do what armchair quarterbacks/animal lovers would have done were they faced with identical circumstances.

I would have left the dog too. Would I have asked others to rescue the dog?...


"We can’t specifically send a rescue effort for a dog,” Safe said. “We have a designated rescue team. In the last two weeks we have had six rescues, one a day on the weekends, for people. It is tough terrain out there."

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/31364935/detail.html

At what cost? I know people that would risk their lives for animals whether wild, domesticated, theirs, or somebody else's pets. Is it wrong to take advantage of their better nature? The rescuers argue they are more suited to keep the dog. I don't doubt they are better hikers and bigger animal lovers. Are they better people? Insisting to keep what isn't theirs makes me doubt that.

Sucking at hiking or animal husbandry shouldn't be a crime.

[Bman]

The simplest part to me is that he ultimately abandoned the dog thus forfeiting any claim of ownership. It's not even like the dog ran away and he posted the neighborhood with signs for a missing dog. A great lack of personal responsibility when considering ownership of a pet. I can see room for criminal negligence in this case. After all it is a living creature not a broken down car. You get a pet you are responsible for it's life and well being. I know some people won't agree with that sentiment. Don't care if one doesn't.

[Bastiat's The Law]

If he really wanted the dog or was a half decent person he would've made the effort to save the dog, whether that's doing it yourself or coming back with a team of people to help. He went home to eat Funyuns and play Call of Duty.

[Meatwasp]

The simplest part to me is that he ultimately abandoned the dog thus forfeiting any claim of ownership. It's not even like the dog ran away and he posted the neighborhood with signs for a missing dog. A great lack of personal responsibility when considering ownership of a pet. I can see room for criminal negligence in this case. After all it is a living creature not a broken down car. You get a pet you are responsible for it's life and well being. I know some people won't agree with that sentiment. Don't care if one doesn't.

I still hold he should have gone back to her with others the next day They could have made a litter

[specsaregood]

I still hold he should have gone back to her with others the next day They could have made a litter

And I say we put the original owner and the rescuers in a yard with the dog, let the dog freely associate with all of them at the same time, then they walk off in seperate directions. Whichever one the dog follows gets to keep it. It's a difficult situation, I say we let the dog choose who he wants to be with.

[Ender]

specsaregood

And I say we put the original owner and the rescuers in a yard with the dog, let the dog freely associate with all of them at the same time, then they walk off in seperate directions. Whichever one the dog follows gets to keep it. It's a difficult situation, I say we let the dog choose who he wants to be with.

I agree.

[jbauer]

Then there wouldn't be many human owned animals


Stupid people shouldn't own animals.

[jbauer]

I know hind-sight is alwasy 20/20 but why did he take the dog on a snow capped mountain in the first place?

[aGameOfThrones]

Did Ortolani go up the mountain barefoot? Did he ever think that taking a dog up a mountain(where sharp rocks are located) could injure the dog's paws if not protected?


Stupid people shouldn't own animals.

Yeah, well...

[Kelly.]

I know hind-sight is alwasy 20/20 but why did he take the dog on a snow capped mountain in the first place?

THIS ^^^^

the reason the dog was unable to continue down was because the dogs owner did not provide the correct protection for the dogs paws. imo the situation was exacerbated by the owner not going back to rescue the dog. at a minimum he could have got on 14ers.com and asked for help rescuing the dog.

fwiw, we carry a set of dog boots in case we get to an area where the rocks cut feet ( dog boots (http://www.ruffwear.com/Barkn-Boots-Skyliner?sc=2&category=11)), and these are imo standard items you bring when hiking 14ers with dogs.

imo, the guy has relinquished ownership when he did not return to get the dog.
if for some reason the dog is given back to the original owner, he should pay for the rescue, the vet bills at a minimum.

[specsaregood]

imo, the guy has relinquished ownership when he did not return to get the dog.
if for some reason the dog is given back to the original owner, he should pay for the rescue, the vet bills at a minimum.

It says in post #34 that part of his request to be reuninted with the dog was that he wanted to reimburse them for costs.

[Kelly.]

It says in post #34 that part of his request to be reuninted with the dog was that he wanted to reimburse them for costs.
AFTER he found out the dog was rescued, not as soon as he could get back to rescue the dog. big difference imo.

imo, he did not intend to rescue the dog at the time he left the dog on the mountain.

[specsaregood]

AFTER he found out the dog was rescued, not as soon as he could get back to rescue the dog. big difference imo.

imo, he did not intend to rescue the dog at the time he left the dog on the mountain.

It says he called the govt for help and they wouldn't help for a dog. It says he also was monitoring the internet in hopes that somebody found the dog. Clearly, he did still have hope of getting the dog back BEFORE it was rescued. In today's day, he probably never figured to ask private people for help since we are supposed to rely on the govt.

Relevent parts:


He said that in the days after he left her, he searched the internet for 'dog found on Bierstadt' every days, but didn't find anything.
He had just about given up hope when he read about her heroic rescuers and her good fortune.

He posted on an online forum: 'I called 911, the sheriff's office and search and rescue and I was told that it was to risky for them to send rescue crew up there for a dog,' he said, adding that 'thinking about her suffering was awful beyond words'. Sheriff's officials say they did receive a call on August 4 from someone asking them to help the dog, but they do not send out search teams for animals.

He said he called the Sheriff’s Office for help. Sgt. Rick Safe confirmed the office received his call on August 5, but told him they did not have the manpower or equipment to conduct a search and rescue mission for the animal, according to NBC


This does not sound like a cold hearted ass who didn't give a crap about the dog, which is what you guys want to paint him as.

[Meatwasp]

It says he called the govt for help and they wouldn't help for a dog. It says he also was monitoring the internet in hopes that somebody found the dog. Clearly, he did still have hope of getting the dog back BEFORE it was rescued. In today's day, he probably never figured to ask private people for help since we are supposed to rely on the govt.
Pound, pound, pound in your head HE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE DOG HIMSELF.

[specsaregood]

Pound, pound, pound in your head HE MADE NO ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE DOG HIMSELF.

Really?


Reading the mounting messages of disdain for his treatment of the dog, he explained his actions. 'Missy was hurt during an attempt at crossing the Sawtooth. It was Missy, a friend and I,' he said. Her injuries made it impossible for her to walk, so the two hikers tried to lower her from boulder to boulder with ropes, but she was getting hurt worse and worse.

'Eventually she just stopped standing or moving at all and I knew she was pretty badly hurt,' he said.

'I picked her up on my shoulders and was hopping from boulder to boulder but I couldn't keep her on me.'
They spent two hours trying to get her down, but with encroaching clouds and mounting fear, they made the difficult decision to leave her behind.

He convinced himself she had died of her injuries to cope with the guilt of leaving her.

Yeah, no attempt,none whatsoever.

[coastie]

AFTER he found out the dog was rescued, not as soon as he could get back to rescue the dog. big difference imo.

imo, he did not intend to rescue the dog at the time he left the dog on the mountain.

...yes-in favor of saving a HUMAN life, because the dog became a liability at that point, and he says he didn't think the dog was going to make it. If he was the evil bastard some seem frothing at the mouth to make him out to be, then why would he have ever come forward for the damn dog, AND offer to reimburse the cost of the rescue??? The character you're painting would've said "holy shit, that fucking dog made it!?, well they can have the POS!"

Bad judgment call by the owner? Obviously.

Evil or intent to harm? Get fucking real. It's attitudes like this is why we have mandatory minimum prison sentences for growing a certain amount of a plant in some states.

If he left the human, and took the dog, some here would be all cheers, apparently.


As someone else said, let the damn dog sort it out. I'll bet the dog will be ELATED to see it's owner again, if that happens.

[Kelly.]

i guess im a bit more critical because i hike with dogs regularly. (with a few 14ers under my and my dogs belt)

i dont care if he called and was denied help, he could have tried to help rescue the dog. getting no help from govt doesnt mean hope is lost. he chose to not go back up after not getting help.
if it had been me, i wouldnt have left the mountain base without my dog. so obviously my replies are bias :)

in the event i have to hike up and rescue a dog, im not likely to give the animal back to the owners, especially when the dogs was left for 8 days.

[specsaregood]

If he left the human, and took the dog, some here would be all cheers, apparently.


Not to mention that if you can't leave an injured pet on a remote mountain without going to jail; then it doesnt seem like much of a leap before eating all forms of meat is outlawed as well.

[Meatwasp]

Really?

Yeah, no attempt,none whatsoever.

I meant after he got off the mountain. I know by reading all these posts that there are tons of dog lover swho would have gone back up and helped him bring the dog down, in his town.

[Kelly.]

...yes-in favor of saving a HUMAN life, because the dog became a liability at that point, and he says he didn't think the dog was going to make it. If he was the evil bastard some seem frothing at the mouth to make him out to be, then why would he have ever come forward for the damn dog, AND offer to reimburse the cost of the rescue??? The character you're painting would've said "holy shit, that fucking dog made it!?, well they can have the POS!"

Bad judgment call by the owner? Obviously.

Evil or intent to harm? Get fucking real. It's attitudes like this is why we have mandatory minimum prison sentences for growing a certain amount of a plant in some states.

If he left the human, and took the dog, some here would be all cheers, apparently.


As someone else said, let the damn dog sort it out. I'll bet the dog will be ELATED to see it's owner again, if that happens.

see my above comment, my view is obviously bias.

but he could have hiked back up to get the dog the following day, instead he chose not to.
the main reason why i do not believe the guy has a claim of ownership is he did not go back once he child was safely down. (which was his reasoning for not bringing the dog down int he first place)

[specsaregood]

but he could have hiked back up to get the dog the following day, instead he chose not to.
the main reason why i do not believe the guy has a claim of ownership is he did not go back once he child was safely down. (which was his reasoning for not bringing the dog down int he first place)

you mean after the storm that was coming on passed I assume.

[Kelly.]

not to mention the guy brought a dog to an area where rocks cut his dogs feet, so much so that the dog was left on a mountain.

not sure how that is anyone but the guys fault.
which im, is the root of this problem, the guy was in over his head.

[Kelly.]

you mean after the storm that was coming on passed I assume.
sooner then 8 days, yes.

[specsaregood]

not to mention the guy brought a dog to an area where rocks cut his dogs feet, so much so that the dog was left on a mountain.
not sure how that is anyone but the guys fault.
which im, is the root of this problem, the guy was in over his head.

I don't think anybody is disagreeing with that. But 18months in jail and 5k fine? Hell, they'd lock me away for life for all the cows and chicken I have eaten.

[dannno]

Wow, a snowstorm in August!! Sounds pretty unexpected.

[Kelly.]

I don't think anybody is disagreeing with that. But 18months in jail and 5k fine? Hell, they'd lock me away for life for all the cows and chicken I have eaten.
i dont think that the guy should go to jail, but i dont think he should get the dog back.

sorry i should have been more clear about that part.

[Meatwasp]

I Confess I am pretty wild on this as a dog I had saved my life three times.
Once he chased a bear that was coming for me away
I was mining on a side of the mountain when my dog started howling for me I left the mining site and the whole mountain collapsed.
The last was warning me of a rattle sake which I would have stepped on.
I would do anything to save our canine friends.

[asurfaholic]

I don't think the charges and fine are warranted, but I don't believe the rescuers should have to give it back. As so many others have pointed out, when he left it for dead and didn't attempt to go back himself to rescue it himself, he released all responsibility for the dogs life. He left it there to die..

If I leave a broken toy on the side of the road and leave it for good, cause its broken, and somebody comes by and picks it up, fixes it - then I can't say "hey gimme." it's not mine anymore. The dog isn't his anymore. Time for him to get a new dog and try to do better next time.

[Ender]

...yes-in favor of saving a HUMAN life, because the dog became a liability at that point, and he says he didn't think the dog was going to make it. If he was the evil bastard some seem frothing at the mouth to make him out to be, then why would he have ever come forward for the damn dog, AND offer to reimburse the cost of the rescue??? The character you're painting would've said "holy shit, that fucking dog made it!?, well they can have the POS!"

Bad judgment call by the owner? Obviously.

Evil or intent to harm? Get fucking real. It's attitudes like this is why we have mandatory minimum prison sentences for growing a certain amount of a plant in some states.

If he left the human, and took the dog, some here would be all cheers, apparently.


As someone else said, let the damn dog sort it out. I'll bet the dog will be ELATED to see it's owner again, if that happens.

Thank you! Nice to see a few people on here with some sense.

In a personal statement the guy said that he had dropped the dog a few times trying to carry it over his shoulders and had almost fallen down the mountain himself. He had to make a decision and it was the dog or the kid.

If he had left the kid he'd be going to jail for child endangerment or even manslaughter- instead he is being upbraided for leaving the dog.

It is also interesting to see the very people (law enforcement) he called to get some help for the dog are now charging him with animal abuse. How convenient.

[Meatwasp]

Thank you! Nice to see a few people on here with some sense.

In a personal statement the guy said that he had dropped the dog a few times trying to carry it over his shoulders and had almost fallen down the mountain himself. He had to make a decision and it was the dog or the kid.

If he had left the kid he'd be going to jail for child endangerment or even manslaughter- instead he is being upbraided for leaving the dog.

It is also interesting to see the very people (law enforcement) he called to get some help for the dog are now charging him with animal abuse. How convenient.

Yep everything is cool what he did----until the fatal question. Why didn't he go back the next day and get him down with help from some friends. Both you and Coastie seem to ignore that. HA!

[Ender]

Yep everything is cool what he did----until the fatal question. Why didn't he go back the next day and get him down with help from some friends. Both you and Coastie seem to ignore that. HA!

I didn't ignore it- I posted earlier that he may have been filled with guilt and/or so traumatized about his dog to the point of the inability to think straight or to take action. He said he believed the dog was dead and he was searching the mountain forums for any word about someone finding a dog.

I have a brother who is a complete animal lover and a blinking genius- but he is also so completely ultra sensitive that an experience like this would put him in a state of shock, with no hope. It would take me and some friends to say "Come on let's go find that dog" before he would have any hope and be able to move.

So, save your judgments- we are all perfect until some catastrophe hits us personally, and then we sometimes find that we aren't as wonderful as we previously thought.

[Meatwasp]

I know you want the last word so I'll let you have it. Heh

[aGameOfThrones]

"he was searching the mountain forums," but not the mountain...

[Meatwasp]

"he was searching the mountain forums," but not the mountain...

Yep dat he wuz

[phill4paul]

8 days.

That is how long it took before the dog was taken off the mountain. With no food, water or shelter.

8 days.

That is over a week he could have acted if he actually gave two shits about what he left behind.

[Meatwasp]

He Probably was too lazy to go back up the mountain.

[Bosco Warden]

He Probably was too lazy to go back up the mountain.

So you're saying he was a liberal?

Interesting....:toady:

[Meatwasp]

So you're saying he was a liberal?

Interesting....:toady:

Good one Heh

[malkusm]

Not an equal. One is inanimate property, the other a living being.

I agree with you that inanimate property should be treated differently than living property. This leads to a massive gray area where there is no obvious right answer: How long could the dog have stayed there until it was given up by its owner? A day? Two? Three? A week? And how long could the inanimate object sit there before similarly ceasing to be his property? More than a week? Two?

Here's why I agree with you that they must be held to different standards:

"Then there is the case of the animals. We are fully aware of the unbridgeable gulf separating our reason from the reactive processes of their brains and nerves. But at the same time we divine that forces are desperately struggling in them toward the light of comprehension. They are like prisoners anxious to break out from the doom of eternal darkness and inescapable automatism. We feel with them because we ourselves are in a similar position: pressing in vain against the limitation of our intellectual apparatus, striving unavailingly after unattainable perfect cognition." -Ludwig von Mises, Human Action

[osan]

I love my animals and they mean more to me than I can say- but if I had to choose between a human being and my dog- I would have to save the other person and so would you.


Then you'd better never go hiking with me because I would not abandon my dog for any reason. ANY.

And if I were injured and you abandoned my dog to save me, you'd better leave the fucking planet because you would not be no matter even if you moved into the Oval Office.

:)

[Ender]

Then you'd better never go hiking with me because I would not abandon my dog for any reason. ANY.

And if I were injured and you abandoned my dog to save me, you'd better leave the fucking planet because you would not be no matter even if you moved into the Oval Office.

:)

If you were injured, you probably wouldn't be able to do much about it. ;)

BUT- I would go back after the dog if it couldn't follow us. Don't think I could carry you AND a 120 lb dog at the same time. :eek:

[osan]

I
"Then there is the case of the animals. We are fully aware of the unbridgeable gulf separating our reason from the reactive processes of their brains and nerves. But at the same time we divine that forces are desperately struggling in them toward the light of comprehension. They are like prisoners anxious to break out from the doom of eternal darkness and inescapable automatism. We feel with them because we ourselves are in a similar position: pressing in vain against the limitation of our intellectual apparatus, striving unavailingly after unattainable perfect cognition." -Ludwig von Mises, Human Action

That's a pretty damned good observation.

[The Free Hornet]

UPDATE:


Ortolani was charged with animal cruelty but will plead guilty to a lesser local ordinance, his attorney, Jennifer Edwards, told The Denver Post. Giving up Missy was discussed as part of the plea deal, but was not the reason for Ortolani’s decision, his attorney said. The exact rescuer who will assume ownership of the dog was not made public.

today.msnbc.msn.com/id/49093256/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/ (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/49093256/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/)


He is now giving up custody of Missy as part of a plea deal that will allow him to enter a guilty plea on a lesser offense of a county ordinance.

articles.nydailynews.com/2012-09-17/news/33907024_1_rocky-mountain-hikers-missy (http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-09-17/news/33907024_1_rocky-mountain-hikers-missy)

I was supportive of Ortolani (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?386533-Man-abandons-dog-on-mountain-it-gets-rescued-now-wants-it-back.&p=4589488&viewfull=1#post4589488) not going to jail so it would seem that much was accomplished (or threat minimized as he was facing 18 months on animal cruelty charges - I can't find more details than the above two links).

More from the msnbc link (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/49093256/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/):


“He loved that dog, and this is an incredibly hard decision for him,” Edwards told the Los Angeles Times. “But he realizes that for her safety and for the safety of his family, it’s better to give her up.”

Ortolani said Sunday that he received death threats after the story became public following Missy’s rescue by a team of volunteers on Mount Bierstadt, a 14,000-foot mountain in Clear Creek County, Colo. Ortolani paid nearly $5,000 in veterinary bills related to the injuries suffered by Missy, who had climbed more than a dozen peaks in Colorado with him before the incident, according to Edwards.

“He’s gotten letters and calls that he’s cruel and has no right to the animal,” Edwards told the Los Angeles Times. “People have said if he ever gets the dog back, his family will never be safe.”

"Carrying her down unfortunately caused her more injury," Ortolani told KMGH-TV. "She fought with me and squirmed off my shoulders, and I dropped her on some rocks and she got hurt worse. Everybody says, 'Why didn't you go back?' My physical condition was significantly deteriorated, my emotional condition was no good. I thought she was dead.

"I've always wanted nothing but the best for her, and that's why I take her everywhere with me.’’

...

Ortolani contacted the Sheriff’s Office in the days after leaving the dog on the mountain but was informed that they did not have the manpower or equipment needed to find and rescue Missy.

Yep, he contacted the same government that bullied him into a plea.

-----------------------------------------
A note to whoever got that dog:


"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have...."

-Gerald Ford but often attributed to Jefferson (http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/government-big-enough-to-give-you-everything-you-wantquotation)

[angelatc]

i guess im a bit more critical because i hike with dogs regularly. (with a few 14ers under my and my dogs belt)

i dont care if he called and was denied help, he could have tried to help rescue the dog. getting no help from govt doesnt mean hope is lost. he chose to not go back up after not getting help.
if it had been me, i wouldnt have left the mountain base without my dog. so obviously my replies are bias :)



Apparently it was possible to get the dog down. I like to think I'd be like you. I'd go up there, break my leg and then tell the sheriff to come rescue my dog and me.

[The Free Hornet]

ANOTHER UPDATE!:


Anthony Ortolani pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty in October. He was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation and 30 hours of community service.

www.9news.com/news/local/article/310602/346/Man-who-left-dog-on-14er-sentenced (http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/310602/346/Man-who-left-dog-on-14er-sentenced)

Ortolani lost his dog and plead out to avoid jail. He should have sought a jury trial - but that is my arm-chair, non-lawyer, Monday quarterbackseatdriving.