A Colorado man who left his dog on top of a 14er last August was. Anthony Ortolani pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty last October for leaving his German shepherd mix Missy near the summit of Mt. Bierdstadt for over a week after the weather turned during a hike.
The 112-pound dog was later found by hikers Scott and Amanda Washburn, who assembled an eight-person team to rescue the dog. When Ortolani tried to recover the animal, Clear Creek authorities filed charges against him. As part of his plea deal, , now named Lucky, to one of her rescuers. Had the case gone to trial, Ortolani could have faced up to 18 months in jail and $5,000 in fines.
For more on the story, read “A Dog Left to Die“