GEORGETOWN, COLO. (AP) -- A man is being prosecuted for abandoning his dog on one of Colorado's tallest mountains.
Clear Creek County sheriff's officials said Friday that Anthony Joseph Ortolani was cited with animal cruelty.
He couldn't be reached for comment, but someone claiming to be him said in an online climbing forum that he left the 112-pound German Shepherd named Missy on Mount Bierstadt when a storm moved in. He said he and another hiker had to get to safety, and the dog had been badly hurt during the climb.
Sheriff's officials say a caller sought help for the dog Aug. 4, but rescuers don't mobilize for animals.
Other hikers later found the dog. Hikers using the forum dedicated to climbing mountains over 14,000 feet, 14ers.com, mobilized to retrieve the dog. They carried her out in a backpack Monday.
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