The perspective of this picture is terrible as he is about 30 pounds and PitStop is about 75. They are not close to the same size but you can get a look at his tail and short legs.
As to running, he is either asleep or running.
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.
You took the words right out of my mouth! THANK YOU!
The perspective of this picture is terrible as he is about 30 pounds and PitStop is about 75. They are not close to the same size but you can get a look at his tail and short legs.
As to running, he is either asleep or running.
Almost forgot, he has very large teeth but doesn’t bark a word of Portuguese.
AlmaKing, can you honestly make this statement as dirtboy has done?
It was compounded by not turning around as soon as it became apparent the dog was having problems.
No brainer for any dog owner under any circumstances.
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
This is the main reason why he is being damned.
Thanks for loving such a beautiful girl. I know for a fact that she loved you very much. She is on the Other Side of the Rainbow Bridge, waiting for you. Just like she did at home.
Eaker, you ROCK!
Thanks for posting. It is interesting to see the area.
I also found your previous post very informative. If I understand correctly the original climb up the Beirdstat (sp?) is not as ardorous as the Sawtooth climb. Hence the different levels.
I know nothing, nada, zilch about climbing but assume it must be comparable to rafting the rapids, which I have done. Ranging from “this is fun, pass me a beer” to “OMG, we are all gonna die”.
In any case Sawtooth looks pretty iffy to take an old dog to.
Class 1
Easy hiking - usually on a good trail.
Class 2
More difficult hiking that may be off-trail. You may also have to put your hands down occasionally to keep your balance. May include easy snow climbs or hiking on talus/scree.
Class 3
Scrambling or un-roped climbing. You must use your hands most of the time to hold the terrain or find your route. This may be caused by a combination of steepness and extreme terrain (large rocks or steep snow). Some Class 3 routes are better done with rope.
Bierstadt is pretty much trail all the way to the top. The Sawtooth is much more rugged with scrambles up rock faces and slopes. Hence it being class 3.
;<)
Thanks for the further information.
I hope you don’t mind if I ask one more question. (I googled around and now know what talus/scree is..watch out Jeopardy!)
My question...I keep seeing references to “14ers”. I see that it a group of climbers but also refers to the group of mountains that are 14,000 feet.
Is my assumption correct that 14ers doesn’t refer to the difficulty of the climb? That there are different levels on the same mountain?
I only ask because the OP at some point (on this thread or the other one) stated that the original owner had said Missy had completed 6 14er climbs. So she could have been on an easier climb?
Like I said, I’m not a climber and appreciate your knowledge. I have been to Wolf Creek. My car was not appreciative at all of the drive.:)
Thanks for being such a good doggie angel!
That photo reminds me of being on a Xcountry hike across the Big Cypress in So.Fl. Found an abandoned hunting camp with a skin and bones Weimaraner that could hardly stand up.
We split up one guy’s load and he packed it out and kept it. The dog grew to be a monster size and would wipe out two king loaves of bread at a sitting if he could get his paws on it.
Right now all seven are in a semicircle around my desk chair none farther than four feet away.
Foster is asleep on my foot.
I should live so long! I envy you the space for footwarmers and bedfellows.
Sadly, I live in a VERY cramped studio apartment and my only companion is a rescued parakeet. I live in public housing and mores the pity. I have applied for a one-bedroom, and when it is offered, I will take it and get a dog from the local shelter.
And if possible, I will sneak in a cat, because I love critters. The deposit here is $250 for each pet, except birds. There are so many animals who NEED me!
Here are my three min pins and Pomeranian taking a little nap. The one on the left is Kittie. She has diabetes which we are treating but has caused her to have a cataract in her good eye. She is blind in the other from a fight years ago so we are contemplating eye surgery if the vet thinks it will help. She gets by pretty good though and doesn't let it hold her back.
He should be freaking HAPPY that she's alive, GRATEFUL to God, and THANKFUL for her new master. Period.
Thank you for such a loving comment. We have new rescue dogs, but as Salamander said, no one dog replaces another in your heart. I hope you get a larger space, you would give some pup a great home!
LOL! Eaker! You have no clue! I had a sweet little Chihuahua/poodle mix who weighed four pounds at her best, and since she would never come to any name I called, I said, “You silly dog! Maybe you will come when I call my cat!”
I said, “Here, Kitty!”
The smile on her tiny little face was ectatic! We were BFFs forever! She was marked like a Doberman, but her tail looked like that of a roosters! I loved that quirkey little girl! And I still miss her, even after 30 years!
Here is a link that will provide you with answers. There are 55 peaks and the goal of many weekend climbers is to ascend all of them. For some, it may take as long as 20 years, doing several or more every summer.
http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/Fourteeners1.htm
Living in NM in the 80’s and 90’s I hiked and climbed several high peaks, but NM does not have any 14,000 feet. The one fourteener I was going to climb in CO was a relatively short hike from a four-wheel drive road. Along with friends, I had my black lab/golden retriever cross with me which went well until the last hundred feet or so which required a rock scramble. He put up such a loud ruckus when I left him behind and started to scramble that I turned back and waited down below for the others to return.
Sounds like a sweetie! I hope you can get a pup and kittie real soon as there are a couple out there that need you!
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