Posted on 08/18/2012 5:45:57 PM PDT by AlmaKing
Re: Dog Found: Mt. Bierstadt! by aortolani14 » Tue Aug 14, 2012 4:34 am
Hi all,
I am the owner of the German Shepard girl found on Mt. Bierstadt.
I need to know the name of the vet clinic that Missy is at so I can go see her and re-reimburse them for helping her, and if I am fortunate enough, to bring her home.
I am at a complete loss of words. My gratitude for the people involved in this is without measure.
Missy was hurt during an attempt at crossing the Sawtooth. It was Missy, a friend and I. Her paws got bloodied up right in the belly of the sawtooth. I was assisting her with the climb using ropes and a harness for a while but she kept getting hurt worse. A few kind hikers stopped and offered some assistance but incoming weather pushed people off of the saddle. My friend and I realized that we could not get Missy up the saddle to Evans or Bierstadt safely so we decided to bail off of the saddle into the valley between the two mountains to escape the incoming clouds. We were lowering her for a while with ropes from boulder to boulder but she was hurting herself worse against the rocks sprawling out and catching them with her legs. Eventually she just stopped standing or moving at all and I knew she was pretty badly hurt. I picked her up on my shoulders and was hopping from boulder to boulder but I couldn't keep her on me. I dropped her once and I almost fell once too and I realized that I couldn't carry her off of the mountain. At this point I made the decision that I honestly never thought I would even be faced with. I left her there so that my friend and I could get down safely with intentions of calling S&R when we were off of the mountian. We both spent about two hours trying to move her up and down the mountain and were pretty exhausted. Neither one of us wanted to hike up the saddle with the cloud cover growing so we continued down into the valley and hiked back to Guanella Pass Rd. It was a lot farther than we thought it would be, and we got lost several times. A group of hunters showed us the way out and gave us a ride back to our car. Thank you to them as well.
I called the 911, the sheriffs 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, which was upsetting but understandable. I'll admit that while trying to get off of the the mountain I was not as concerned because I was focused on making it safely off of the mountain, but once I was safely at my car I was overwhelmed with the loss, and the decision to leave her there. The next couple of days was absolutely horrible wondering about her, if she was alive, or if she died. Thinking about her suffering was awful beyond words. Many confidants comforted me by saying that she was probably gone from injury. All I can say is that I am relieved that she is okay, I am ashamed that it was not me that started this thread, 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 to all of you and to 9news. I humbly beg the forgiveness of the community and most of all my Missy Girl. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.Top --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
aortolani14 ProfilePrivate messageE-mail aortolani1414er Peak List Not Entered Posts: 20 Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 4:05 amReport this postReply with quoteRe: Dog Found: Mt. Bierstadt! by aortolani14 » Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:13 am
I am reading through all of these threads, and I am just in awe of how heroic and amazing everyone is that did this. I also see all of the anger and hatred towards me and the decision that I made. I feel that I deserve it all. I made it in a panic to be sure, and what I felt was a survival situation. I didn't think to post on 14er's.com to ask for everyone to come fix my colossal mistake in judgement. It is truly amazing that all of you did it on your own. I don't have proper words. It was several days before I would have even been able to even think of walking back up Bierstadt much less into the sawtooth and to try and carry Missy out, and after that I just thought it would be to late. I honestly never thought that I could just ask strangers to go check the sawtooth and carry my 112lb German Shepard out. I don't know what to say. Thank you again to the community, and to those who are angry I am so so sorry. Missy has done 6 14'ers and she loves being out there in the mountains. She depends on me to make smart choices, and taking her into the sawtooth was beyond foolish.
“We’re stupid enough to buy it.”
Well, apparently SOME are.
“PPMs are called Corgi [and Basenji] mixes all the time.”
What’s a PPM?
I’m wondering if Alma is his sister
A very ancient breed of dog used by the Portuguese for hunting various game, depending on the size of the dog.
There are Podengo Pequenos. [very small]
Podengo Medios [mid-sized]
Podengo Grandes [large]
They're basically Velociraptors in fur suits...:)
Usually, the hunters don't even carry guns because the dogs do all the work.
Never heard of them - thanx.
They look like an ancient breed.
From what I read, it sounded as if they may be shown at Westminister next year.
Gypsy is the 25 pound terror taking on the 100 pound Dobe.
[that’s *her* snarling]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncO61Hq2r4s&feature=g-upl
Pardon the occasional pee breaks...it was potty/play time.
Take note of how she keeps trying to jump up and grab his neck.
That’s how they kill..they bite and break it.
Odin has learned that technique, since he was raised by her and a bunch of Ibizan bitches.
[and he’s also become *very* agile since hamstringing him is another of her “murder moves”]
They also leap into the air and body-slam their prey to knock it off balance.
Poor Odin.
The stuff he puts up with.
:)
P.T. Barnum was a prophet.
;]
The Pequenos are and my dear friend in CA is responsible for it.
This is her parent club website.
:)
http://portuguesepodengopequeno.org/
Wow, your Gypsy plays kinda rough - she looks like a handful. The other dog looks like an Ibizan - a bit calmer than Gypsy. Your Dobie puts up with a lot.
Ah...they’re cute. But I have a feeling they’re a handful too. lol.
I have a Pomeranian mix with ears almost that size - she’s a barker and has taught her “brother”, a Pekingese (spaniel variety) to bark, too. He was very quiet when I 1st adopted him. Wouldn’t trade them for the world, though.
Missy wouldn’t have abandoned you on the trail!
btw - this is the 2nd ‘new’ dog breed I’ve encountered in the past 2 days. The other is the Kooikerhondje - not yet fully AKC recognized, but on its way to being so.
First of all, if he was even remotely familiar with hiking that area, he would have been aware of protective measures for his dog, including booties.
Second, if he left her there for eight days and nights, he obviously was banking on her not surviving. If so, then he is a coward of the first water.
Third, if this goes to court, I hope he is required to give her up, and is ordered to never own another animal.
If I loved my dog, (I don’t currently own one) I would have done everything possible, including going back up with a friend or two to THE VERY NEXT DAY to bring her back down. No way would I have allowed her injured, starving and thirsty to endure all that time unable to help herself.
But don’t get me started.
She’s a rough one, alright.
Djinni is an Ibizan and is smart enough to stay out of their way.
Yes, he does but he loves his girls.
:)
Yes they make very good foot gear for dogs with traction soles just like human climbing boots. My dog has them because the first time we went camping he cut up his paws bouldering with me. They cost about $40 and he has been using them for 4 years. If we are hiking he wears his booties.
We also have a harness for him if we have to use ropes.
We’ve turned back a few times when we decided the trail was too difficult to manage with the dog. I think this guy should have turned back long before he did in addition to the fact that he was not properly equipped.
The problem was not going up Bierstadt with the dog. Bierstadt is a moderately strenuous Class 2 hike, and about the easiest 14er to climb other than Evans and Pikes Peak where you can drive up to the top.
The mistake was taking an old, overweight dog on a Class 3 hike - the Sawtooth from Bierstadt over to Mt. Evans. It was compounded by not turning around as soon as it became apparent the dog was having problems.
And he tripled down by not doing everything in his power to get the dog down in subsequent days - complete strangers cared enough about the dog to rescue her - he could have been at the forefront of that. He could have also taken her food, water and a blanket to lie on until a rescue could be put together.
And in the end, your comparison of this idiot to George Zimmerman is a real skunk of a comment. Zimmerman did nothing wrong. This guy did, and still wants it back after leaving it for dead. Saying he should not get his dog back is not demanding he be hanged - just a realization of how unsuitable an owner he was.
YES! Kudos to you!
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