Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Dogs, dogs and even some cats
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CaptPenner
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by CaptPenner »

Wonderful that these great people got the national attention they deserve. I wish they could have plugged the website of Bill Middlebrook a little, but I am sure they were probably told not to. Just an idea, but if every rescuer donated $500 of their Columbia to Bill Middlebrook, they could still get a lot of cool gear AND help the 14ers website or CFI. Anyhow, great job by all involved! \:D/
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edhaman
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by edhaman »

I just finished watching “Ellen,” and Missy’s rescuers were great ambassadors for the community of people who climb fourteeners, and for all people who rescue animals. I don’t recall whether Missy’s owner was aware of the 14ers.com website, but perhaps with this publicity someone in a similar situation in the future will be aware that there are people who will help, and will think to seek out that help.

Recent posts have illustrated that no matter what anyone does and no matter what anyone says, someone will have a problem with it. All I can say is: if you have a problem with these people, save it for Festivus!
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LuLuLuv
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by LuLuLuv »

I watched the Ellen segment today and thought it was very good. Such a happy ending for a sad situation. They represented well, tho I also wish they could have plugged 14ers.com more.
-Coucher I don't think it was 15 minutes of fame, a story like this is what Ellen is all about.
I wonder where I could get one of those canteens???
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greenwok
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by greenwok »

First I think it's paramount and fantastic the dog was rescued. Hats off to the rescuers - truly!

Second It's unfortunate IMO how this all unwound to where we are today.

Nobody really won here IMO. As an animal lover, and also one who loves people, I would have liked to see us as a community work towards restoration and reconciliation, and perhaps had solved this within the community rather than making a legal case of it all. Our culture is really good about that - going to court - we don't do so hot at working together to solve disputes IMO.

So now Anthony gets his back put against a wall to either be dealt a crime, or plea to a lesser charge but lose his dog.

Could he have done differently? You bet - starting with not taking the dog on a 3 to begin with - so any of you who have taken your dog on a 3 are as guilty of abuse regardless of the outcome of your and the dog's climb - you may have gotten lucky.

I love how Artist Matthew West in his song "http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WLPKY7NX" puts it:

Even when the jury and the judge
Say you gotta right to hold a grudge
It's the whisper in your ear saying 'Set It Free'


Something to think about -

KG
The question is not what you look at, but what you see
-Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
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jasonmiller
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by jasonmiller »

[/quote] And, they get to meet Ellen, which would be awesome.[/quote]


HAHAHA
"It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you don't stop."
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CaptPenner
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by CaptPenner »

All the rescuers received $2,500 Columbia gift cards from Ellen. Thank you Ellen and Columbia. I am excited to see that they got a reward other than the personal satisfaction of doing the right thing. I was disappointed to see that 14ers.com and Bill got no recognition. I thought that if every rescuer gave some of their gift card to Bill, he could buy some items, resell them on this site, using the proceeds to help run this great website. Or he could distribute them to SAR or even CFI for their work.

This should be 100% voluntary, as I wold never take, demand, to even tell someone that they should, give something away what that they had earned with their own hard work. That would make me a......well, I won't go there. This was just an idea I had since it was this website that allowed for this rescue to happen as it did.
Tortoise1
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by Tortoise1 »

"Nobody really won here IMO. As an animal lover, and also one who loves people, I would have liked to see us as a community work towards restoration and reconciliation, and perhaps had solved this within the community rather than making a legal case of it all."

Huh? It was a legal case. A statute was violated. It's known as the rule of law. It's one of the things that separates us from the uncivilized. The owner wanted his dog back, but he clearly didn't deserve to have his dog back. The legal system did a nice job with this one.
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Jeff Valliere
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by Jeff Valliere »

Here is a link to the Ellen Degeneres video clip:

http://www.ellentv.com/episodes/bethenn ... -top-four/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Jeff Valliere
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by Jeff Valliere »

First and foremost, I am very happy that this story had a great outcome and great job to all who were involved in this rescue. It is great to see that Lucky will soon be in a home where she will be taken care of like a true family member as she should be.

It is not my intent to perpetuate the dog debate, or contribute to thread drift, but since this was posted here, I feel compelled to point out that this particular statement is a bit of an overreaching assumption (though I see the points that you are trying to make as they regard to this incident and agree with much of what was stated).
greenwok wrote:FirstCould he have done differently? You bet - starting with not taking the dog on a 3 to begin with - so any of you who have taken your dog on a 3 are as guilty of abuse regardless of the outcome of your and the dog's climb - you may have gotten lucky.
If one has climbed mountains long enough, it becomes clear that all ratings are not equal. Some class 3 I have found to be VERY easy and non-threatening and other class 3 routes I have found to be downright frightening. Not all climbers are equal, nor are all dogs equal. Luck plays a certain role, as we are all taking somewhat of a risk when climbing mountains (or just negotiating life), but there is much more to it than luck.

Clearly, in retrospect, this particular dog owner was wrong in his decision to bring this dog along for the Sawtooth. I can only surmise that he overestimated his own and his dog’s abilities and then failed in his duty to be able to rescue the dog if in trouble. However, many dog/dog owners have successfully negotiated this ridge and many other equally or more difficult climbs. I have taken my dog across the Sawtooth, along with 3 other dogs and they had no issues at all, it was quite easy for them and they never were in any danger, nor did they pose a threat to others.

I am quite conservative as to what I will put my dog through, but I know her well and we have a long history of mountain travel. As one might do for any climb/hike, I carefully assess the terrain (exposure, loose rock, potential threat to my dog/others/myself, etc…..) and coupled with the knowledge gained from the thousands of miles and hundreds of summits we have shared, I can say with confidence that she is just fine on many class 3 or even class 4 routes (I am including 14ers and any other peak in this).

That said, if I think that the rock is too loose or there may be any threat to herself or others (regardless of it’s rating), I will leave her at home and I am strongly opposed to dogs being on loose exposed routes where they might put others in danger.

We all have our own comfort level based on our experiences and ability level and the same holds true for dogs. Yes, they will follow their owner just about anywhere and this makes it critical for us to use our best judgment to look out for them. This incident is a blatant example of what happens when things go wrong (fortunately with a happy outcome), but for every one of these stories, there are countless successful dog outings (of varying degrees of difficulty).
mts4602
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by mts4602 »

greenwok wrote:Could he have done differently? You bet - starting with not taking the dog on a 3 to begin with - so any of you who have taken your dog on a 3 are as guilty of abuse regardless of the outcome of your and the dog's climb - you may have gotten lucky.
My feelings exactly. Has anybody seen the pictures on facebook of the guy that just died on Maroon Peak with his dog on the Exact same route as this case? Point is that so many of you do the same thing, but we're not going to go critcizing that guy are we? One of the rescuers made the comment on the Ellen show that the dog shouldn't have been up there in the first place, which is BS because soo many people do it and nobody cares until something happens. And I'm also talking about class 3, A LOT of you do it, but that's ok because you're smart and you know what you're doing.
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rickinco123
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by rickinco123 »

Tortoise1 wrote: Huh? It was a legal case. A statute was violated. It's known as the rule of law. It's one of the things that separates us from the uncivilized. The owner wanted his dog back, but he clearly didn't deserve to have his dog back. The legal system did a nice job with this one.
Huh? Really. There's no such thing as prosecutorial abuse huh? This could have just as easily been kept out of the legal system. Without media attention I can almost guarentee it would have been.

I have seen so many dogs over the years that have been taken dangerous places they should not be and to my knowledge, none of those owners were threatened with animal cruelty. Its called selective prosecutiion.
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Jeff Valliere
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Re: Mt. Bierstadt dog update on 9NEWS

Post by Jeff Valliere »

My take was that the abuse came in the form of leaving the injured dog for dead, high on the mountain for 8 days, not necessarily taking the dog along on the Sawtooth Ridge.
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