 Barked: Thu Aug 30, '12 5:15pm PST |
 | |  | | I don't think the rescuers "kept" her after the owner stepped forward. I read the entire thread organizing the rescue and the heated discussion on the 14er forum . . .The owner came onto the thread at 14ers sometime in the wee hours the day after she was rescued, by then the dog had been taken to the vet and was being tended to.
Another hiker who posted on the thread, had witnessed the two men with the dog on the day she was left, and when he realized how long it had between the day and when she was found he was horrified, which is how they put together just how long she'd been up there---he felt compelled to talk to authorities (he was not one of the rescuers). Also the prosecutor who chose to bring charges is a member of the 14er site and posted on the thread (also not one of the rescuers).
It looks like very quickly an investigation was under way and the dog came to be under Animal Control's authority almost immediately before she ever left the vet. I think the ball got rolling well before or at least at the same time the owner outed himself . . .. not to mention I think Scott Washburn's wife posted about the success on the thread---I doubt the rescuers had any reason to rush back to check the thread until they heard about the uproar after Ortolani posted.
And just because a guy comes forward on a thread and claims to be the owner . . . you'd want some independent verification at any rate . . . .
I think if he had had proper I.D on his dog rather than just a rabies tag, Scott Washburn might well have called Ortolani the day he and his wife found her . . ..before he even started the thread. So again, the owner's failure to plan ahead, think or prepare contributed to the way things unfolded . . ..
I know what you mean Twister, I don't think the owner is evil incarnate, and probably can learn from this, I certainly know people who don't take exceptionally thoughtful care of their dogs, they just don't get caught with their pants down in such a dramatic fashion because they don't do such physical stuff with their dogs . . . ..
At any rate, it'd probably be hard for him to hike another 14er in Colorado with her and not get recognized . . ..Edited by author Thu Aug 30, '12 5:17pm PST
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They did make a huge mistake, a really bad one in the eyes of many people...but that doesn't mean that they do not still love her; or that they can not take good care of her now (I would say quite a big lesson learned). I think they do still love her, or else they would not be going through all this trouble trying to reclaim her, and I think they were probably relieved to hear that she had been found and rescued. What I don't think the rescuers should have done was to keep her after the owner stepped forward. Legally, that was wrong. Now because neither party wants to relinquish their 'rights' (and technically, the rescuers have no rights to her...back to the child scenario, it would be called kidnapping and they would be put in jail if they had done that...though I know this situation is not so clear cut) to her she is stuck in limbo in a shelter.
