Wow, just wow.
I usually try and stay away from these heart wrenching stories (they really do put a scar on my soul) but I just spent the last 3 hours going thru the links Charlie posted. (Thank you for the pertinent coverage) What an incredible story.
What keeps rattling around in my head was his lack of empathy and concern.
At what point, going UP that mountain, did he not realize his dog had been injured? Was it the first mile that she got cut, was it mile 4? How long was that dog limping along, in his self-centered pursuit to crest that mountain, to be completely lame at the top and not able to move?
I get that he was probably a fairly tough (and somewhat ignorant) guy, "blistering" up his own feet but forcing his dog to endure that climb on raw and bloodied feet IS cruel. And if he claims he didn't realize or notice, well then there are probably a lot of other things that are missing in that relationship.
We hike in the mountains (not 14'ers though) all the time. Things happen, basic first aid gear is a must and if a bandage won't do it, it's time to head back. The unexpected is a big part of the adventure.
Yeah, sometimes it sucks, but the family that heads out together comes home together. If someone isn't having a good time, for whatever reason, there's always another day.
He's had her for 5 years. Why he would just abandon any effort to get her is beyond me. Just a dog, I guess, which seemed to be confirmed (to him) by the authorities he contacted.
But to toss away a life so easily, leaving a helpless, injured, family dog, of five years, on top of a mountain, without any further effort, showed me the true character of the guy at the time.
Sure, he had family, friends, and even his employer saying what an upstanding guy he was in the face of "their" troubles but, to me, it's the way people treat those less fortunate or perhaps, in their mind, less important, those that can't speak for themselves, for nothing more than the bond that's created between the two of you, that determines who should be in who's life.
He didn't turn around when she was cut and bleeding. Allowed her feet to get to a point of bloodied abrasions and watched her struggle to a point of exhaustion trying to keep up - to a point where she actually gave up.
In my experience, that's pretty hard to do with a shepherd, never been there yet and we've had some fairly serious injuries.
Yes, I've also made some poor choices where dogs have been concerned. As a child, even causing a death because I did not heed warnings to stay away. And injury to my own dogs because I was pushing their limits; however, the injuries happened with complete focus on the dog, immediate medical treatment and dedicated attention to a quick recovery.
To abandon a living creature, my family member, on top of a mountain, regardless of what any authority said, is inconceivable to me.
We advocate for each other all the time. How many of us have elderly parents, disabled friends and small children, whose struggles would go unnoticed if it weren't for a little intervention on our parts.
We hear "no" all the time. Yes, we learn a lot from those no's but that doesn't mean we give up, especially where something really important is concerned.
The thing that gets me the most though is a dog's dedicated love for their family - all dogs yes, but even more particularily a shepherd.
I believe Anthony has learned some very valuable life lessons in the most difficult way possible. The hazing he has taken from the world is beyond what I could ever imagine. I put his name in my search engine and got 36,000 hits. Just imagine how many people those news reports have reached.
But I'm also concerned for the future of this dog. Her feet were badly injured and she was very dehydrated but she is on the road to recovery from the information I read. She is also about as famous as they get right now, with sympathy pouring in from around the world.
A dog can't live on sympathy alone. In fact it's not a very good place for these guys at all. They move on pretty quick. She still needs a strong leader. Dedicated, caring and compassionate, but a knowledgeable leader none the less, one that's able to quickly move passed this.
If Anthony is able to endure this onslaught of public ridicule (God know, many wouldn't) and still decides to fight for custody, (he better put every resource into "trying" this time), I believe he will have gained some valuable insight into what it means to be a leader to this incredible girl.
My dogs teach me things every single day. Missy's struggles have taught the world things that only the trusting, faithful, hopeful, undying nature of dog can.
With this dog, this guy's every movement would be under a microscope for the rest of her life, maybe even his. He would not be able to simply move on, like he thought he could when he left her for dead. She would be a haunting reminder of his deadly choice but also an incredible teacher of what these guys are made of and why they truly are man's best friend, even when man falls short on being theirs.
Something tells me that Anthony is not the same man that came down the mountain that day. I know Missy has already forgiven him and I, for one, am going to learn from her and reserve any judgment of his past actions.
Moving forward, from this moment on, all the wiser of man's stupidity and even wiser of the mountains man is able to climb in the name of compassion.
Those 14'ers rock!!!
I do hope this dies down soon though and she gets out of the custody of animal control and into the custody of a caring, family environment as soon as possible.
As an aside, what a witch hunt, and in many ways rightfully so. I saw a comment that said "Arrrrfff with his head".
OMG, didn't realize my rant got this long. I've been away, the fingers were flying with passion.
Edited by CJ Barrett (08/25/2012 11:51 AM)
Edit reason: sorry for the book, had to get it out
Re: Man charged for abandoning dog on mount Bierstadt
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