Your initial post to which I responded asked how/why this guy was being prosecuted. My intent was only to share the laws in Colorado with you.
We could debate the animal neglect issue, and the severity of same, till the cows come home. I’m not sure what state you live in, but around here if animal abuse is reported the law does get involved. The animals are seized and fines imposed. In extreme cases (deliberate mutilation, etc.) there are usually rewards offered to catch perp. If caught and tried, they usually spend prison time if found guilty. It’s pretty serious business. Of course not all abuse is reported and willing individuals or no kill shelters are involved. And, since I don’t live in a bubble, I know that many slip thru the cracks and die.
“If these hikers are so dying to help a neglected dog...”
Actually, these guys are more than “hikers”. There is a post on this thread that YouTubes where the dog was found. Also, somewhere upthread someone posted a reply from one of the rescuers from the 14ers thread. He stated that he does dog rescue. I don’t think that he meant just rescuing dogs close to death on the top of a mountain. That is a pretty rare event. I guess that is why it made national news.
I don’t know any of these folks personally but it could be they all do animal rescue work in their everyday lives in everyday situations. Which would make them one of us. :)
Thanks for your response.
If they do animal rescue they should know how bad it is out there. What is the euthanasia rate in Colorado?
I found this statistic for 2009 —
11,354 of rescued dogs euthanized.
http://www.colovma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=49
There is no evidence that this man was a bad owner other than this traumatic and unusual event. This is a waste of resources that would be better spent pursuing, for example, dog fighting.
I think anyone could make the argument that taking a dog on any climb involving ropes is unfair and foolish and borders on abuse in the first instance. That the dogs may “love it” means nothing. There are dogs who love dog fighting and roaming the streets free.