Probation for man who left injured dog on mountain

(AP) DENVER - A man who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after leaving his injured dog on a Colorado mountain has been sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation.

KUSA-TV in Denver reports (http://on9news.tv/Uq0FHQ ) Anthony Ortolani also was ordered Tuesday to perform 30 hours of community service.

Ortolani, of Westminster, has said he and a climbing companion were hiking Mount Bierstadt in August when bad weather moved in. He says he tried to carry his 112-pound German shepherd mix, Missy, off the mountain when she couldn’t walk, but he had to abandon her so he and his climbing companion could get to safety.

Volunteers coordinated a rescue effort for the dog after another hiker spotted her, and she now has a new owner.

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Information from: KUSA-TV, http://www.9news.com