Man who left injured dog on mountain speaks out
(CBS/AP) A hiker who abandoned his injured five-year-old German shepard/Rottweiler on a Colorado mountain last month spoke out after receiving death threats for his action, CBS affiliate KCNC Denver reported Sunday.
Anthony Ortolani of Westminster said that he accepts responsibility for taking his 112-pound dog Missy on the trip that turned out arduous for her. The hiker said that the dog's paws began to bleed in the saddle area between Mount Bierstadt and Mount Evans, said KCNC. Ortolani said he tried to carry the injured animal for two hours; his feet were hurt too.
Faced with approaching bad weather and lack of water, Ortolani abandoned Missy.
"Carrying her down, unfortunately caused her more injury. She fought with me and squirmed off my shoulders, and I dropped her on some rocks and she got hurt worse," Ortolani said.
Hikers found the dog days later and organized a volunteer recovery effort, bringing Missy down from Mount Bierstadt after an eight-day ordeal.
"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," said Ortolani.
After Ortolani learned of the rescue, he asked for his dog back. But Clear Creek County authorities conducted an investigation and charged him with animal cruelty.
His lawyer, Jennifer Edwards, said her client hopes to make a plea deal.
Ortolani said that he paid approximately $5,000 in veterineary and boarding expenses. He says now that he would prefer one of the rescuers adopting Missy rather than her ending up in a shelter where she is held at the moment.
The decision to give up custody of Missy was part of a possible plea bargain.
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I sure as sh*t wouldn't have waited for somebody else to find my injured dog alive, and then claim it wasn't my fault and I wanted my dog back.
My dog got old and I had to have him euthanized on March 1, 2011. I cried for three straight days. There is just no WAY I could have left him on a mountain, not knowing for sure if he was alive or not. And even if I had known for sure that he was dead, there was no way I could have just left his body there.
My dog thought the sun and the moon rose and set on me for 12 years. I had a stroke about 8 years ago, and I credit my dog with the fact that I learned to talk and write again. I had to spend a long time in the hospital (several hundred miles away from where I live) learning how again, and I worked my fanny off in therapy classes because I wanted to get home to my dog again so bad.
There is just no WAY I could have left my dog to die.
Poor animal. Hope it gets a better home.
What a jackass!! Any normal human would have gone back (which begs the argument that any normal human wouldn't have left her there, et cetera). I am constantly stunned by the cruel behavior tossed off to animals by their owners, let alone total strangers. I would have fined this guy more. I would have sent in a death threat myself. He should have stayed with her. People found the dog two days later; they would have found his sorry and selfish ass too.
I hope Missy gets a great home. She deserves one! I wish I could take her. She is a sweet dog.
It doesn't appear to be a good use of tax money to prosecute this citizen and supervise his behavior. We are not in a prosperous economy and the victim in the event included the citizen (defendant) himself. Justice won't be served and better use of tax dollars exist.