Posted on 08/18/2012 11:45:21 AM PDT by ColdOne
Washburn and his wife were incredulous at how this dog, tucked into a tiny nook between rocks, could have ended up where it was. The whimpering dog was, as Washburn said, "in awful shape." He was convinced it would have died if left without food or water for much longer. The couple tried to coax the dog up out of the rocks and down the mountain but it was clear the dog was too injured and weak to move.
"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.
(Excerpt) Read more at gma.yahoo.com ...
Seriously...I think I love you.
;]
I’m sorry about Pookie (:
They *did* know their people were dead...yet they stayed with them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3XnuejZmbk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/22/loyal-dog-refuses-leave_n_1107561.html
When all other friends desert, he remains.
I know you would, dear friend.
So *he* says.
The word of a dog abandoner isn’t worth spit, in my book.
What a fine looking animal... poor darling! How her heart must have hurt when she began to fear her buddy had left her, never to return. Missy should never have been taken up a mountain in the first place, and then, to be left exposed and vulnerable to the elements. I would NEVER place my dog in such jeopardy, and then to give her up for dead!
The story says Mr. and Mrs. Washburn, along with other members of Missy’s rescue team, would love to adopt her. If they do, little Missy will be the proud and devoted member of a huge family willing to risk their lives for one another. What a happy ending that would be!
As for Orotini, or whatever his name is, it doesn’t matter, because in my book, his name is MUDD.
So am I...but I believe that she and her beloved sister Phoebe are together again, quibbling over the best spot on the sofa, stealing each other’s chewies and then snuggling up with each other into a tight ball to sleep, just like they always did.
Aw dammit.
I’m crying again.
I gotta get away from this thread and go hug my other dogs.
Catchya later.
;^P
(For those of you who don't know the back story, kanawa took on a friggin' bear with nothing more than a knife to protect his dog)
I am willing to bet that the charges will be dropped if he stops trying to get the dog back. I am betting that the charges were filed simply to help the Washburns make their case as to why they should be able to adopt Missy...
That being said- I do not believe that LE should level charges in order to achieve an outcome...but I believe abandoning an animal you are legally responsible for in the wild for 6 days, especially knowing the animal was wounded, and making NO effort to rescue that animal sure sounds cruel to me... He made an assumption- with a life HE was responsible for....he has lost the trust of a civilized society to trust him to be responsible for the care of any other animal in the future as well.....
If the charge is on the books, and this event meets the level needed to bring the charges, I would make the charge— but then again, he could do an Obama move and just enforce the laws he likes......
The dog was lame and couldn’t walk. The owner would have found her if he would have returned to rescue her... but he chose not to. And now he wants the dog back. The nerve...
You both make some excellent points.
Not only did he put the dog in harm’s way, if he wasn’t prepared for the possibility of an overnighter, he put himself and his human companion at risk as well. It says in the article that several human rescues have had to be made in the last six weeks.
The descent to the tree line is also an excellent point. There were two of them. Had he been properly prepared he and his 19 year old companion could have made it out with with the dog. (I initially thought the companion might have been a little kid.)
But I have already stated...this guy is NOT the sharpest knife in the drawer. Good thing he isn’t married to me.
Pretend mountain climber to wife: “Honey, you are not going to believe what happened. Me and Little Next Door Neighbor and Missy were hiking on the mountain and a huge storm blew in. I forgot about taking any gear. It was a hair raising experience to get home. I was scared and cut up a little bit. Are you glad to see me?”
Wife: “I was so worried. I am glad you and LNDN are safe. Where is Missy?”
PMC: “Stupid dog got her paws all cut trying to keep up. We left her.”
Wife: “That’s o.k. We’ll go look for her tomorrow. I know how upset you must be.”
PMC: “Nah, she’s gonna die and I’m tired. I’ll get you another dog...or maybe mountain goat, I’d like that better anyway. It can eat the grass and I won’t have to mow.”
Wife: “Your divorce papers will be in the mail in the morning.”
GSDs are one of the few breed of dogs who know when they are being abandoned.
Mt. Bierstadt is less than a day’s hike, so there’s no need to prepare for an overnighter. You encounter bad weather, you go down. But I guess hindsight is perfect for the chest thumpers here.
From the same article:
Anthony Ortalani made immediate contact with the Sheriff’s office asking for help with rescuing his dog.
Response:
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.
“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.”
So what? He sat on his butt for 8 days, whining about his “blisters” while his dog was suffering and slowly dying. It was HIS responsibility.
The point is the original owner didn’t try to find her.
“in the last 2 weeks we have had 6 rescues. It is tough terrain out there.”
This doesn’t sound like a hindsight issue to me. Anything can happen when climbing...broken bones, getting lost, etc. Going unprepared is just not a good idea. I don’t even go on a road trip without “emergency” provisions. And even more so if I take my dogs along. They are my responsibilty.
It really wasn’t the Sherriff’s office responsibility. He took the dog with him. He hiked up that mountain with the dog. It was his responsibilty to get her back down. He could have hiked his happy rear end back up there to verify she was indeed dead or save her. She was immobile. She would have been close to where she was left.
So this chest thumper would have had serious doubts about how he would treat me in a similar situation.
I do salute your bravery in this post on this thread. The guy is a few fries short of a happy meal and someone needs to take up for his poor judgement.
I have taken in lots of strays and dump dogs.
I had an elderly friend that had to go to a rest home. She had a GSD that she had since puppyhood and wouldn't agree to go. I agreed to take her buddy so she could get the care she needed.
This is no exaggeration...the poor old pup grieved for 6 months. I feared she might die. The day she finally gave me a half wag of her tail was somewhat of a victory.
Like I said, I've taken in others. Their grief process was sad, but comparatively brief.
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