Keep Sitka Home

Pets play an important role in our lives, and it is common to refer to them as companions. Increasingly, most Americans think of pets as members of their extended family. There are different sides to every story: different hearts, connections, bonds, and relationships. This is not just Sitka's and Ashlee’s fight, it is a fight for all of us who consider pets to be sentient beings who are deserving of proper care and love above and beyond that of how you’d treat a table, chair, or other piece of property. If you believe in this cause, please help in the fight to keep Ashlee and Sitka together!

Here is Ashlee and Sitka’s story: In September 2013, God sent an angel. After making the biggest move of my life--a move that was the foundation for the rest of my life--I needed a companion. I had hopes of finding a dog who was older, active enough to run, ski and backpack with me; healthy, independent and smart. None of the dogs I looked at seemed to give me that extra beat in my heart. After months of searching for the perfect dog, I received a phone call from a former co-worker in Canon City. His mother had taken in an abandoned husky who was underweight, dirty, tired and hungry, but very sweet. The husky showed up at an elementary school in a small town in Southern Colorado. The small town did not have a local animal shelter, so the woman posted flyers around town and the school and asked many parents and students to help find the dog’s owners. Those who recognized the husky placed her with a homeless man whose hangout was outside of a Loaf & Jug gas station. Thinking this was his dog, the woman wanted to return the husky--so off to the Loaf & Jug she went. Upon arrival, a Loaf & Jug worker recognized the husky and informed her that the dog’s owner had been sent to jail for a lengthy incarceration and that the dog needed a new home. This is when I adopted Sitka.

No doubt crossed my mind that she was mine. I was totally committed to the responsibility of a high energy “street” dog. She would get all of me - my entire heart. At her first vet visit, my new companion was diagnosed with advanced-stage and potentially-lethal heartworm. On top of that, the vet had to make an educated guess as to her age and, due to the poor nature of her teeth and overall health, the best guess was around 1.5 years old. The obvious next step was to scan for a microchip. On our first vet visit, the vet scanned for a microchip and nothing was found. We had no background, no answers. So I decided I was going to make a life for this dog. I nursed her back to health from what seemed like certain death – but she survived and flourished under my care, love, and nurturing.

To be able to share my love of the outdoors with a pup whose excitement outweighed my own, was a dream come true. The following year and a half after her recovery from illness, Sitka and I were inseparable. Then on that fateful February day, Sitka went out of an open door and started to roam the neighborhood. I received a call from Steamboat Animal Control, notifying me that they had Sitka--and with a new microchip scanning equipment, they had found a microchip and had located the person associated with that microchip. I was told that the person registered to the microchip had been contacted and was making claims that I had stolen their dog. Immediately I felt empathy and I thought, "Oh that poor family! We are both animal lovers and can talk this out."  I thought about setting up visitation for them with Sitka. I was encouraged that I would now know her history, what her life was like as a puppy, and how she ended up with the homeless man. I was proud to be able to show them the beautiful life I have given her and the amazing dog she is today. I thought they would be so happy to see that she is happy and healthy.

Sadly, quite the opposite happened. After two days of frantically reaching out in an attempt to locate my former co-worker's mother's contact information, which would provide proof that I did not steal Sitka, Sitka was returned to me by Steamboat Springs law enforcement at the recommendation of the Steamboat Springs City Prosecutor. I had a feeling of what was to come when the other family did not want to speak to me or see Sitka, and they did not accept my offer to pay the $1200 they had spent on the dog. It was while I was signing the release paperwork from the animal shelter that I was informed that they planned to take me to civil court.

All of us have a warrior inside--one that picks us up as we feel ourselves falling deep. I was going to fight for Sitka, no matter what. I called and met with several attorneys to see the likelihood of a case. After the third repeated the same words as the first two, about the law viewing animals as property, I started to believe I didn't have a case. Then a peace came when walking into a law office, where I was greeted by the attorney's dog who did not part from my lap during our entire meeting. When my dream outcome seemed like a legitimate reality, I was reassured that my heart was in the right place and I didn't have to do this alone. Now I was not just one warrior woman ready to fight for the love of an animal, but I was three. I retained Ethos Legal Services, a law firm run by Emily Kelley, Esq. and Harper Louden, M.A. and the three of us started to prepare for battle.

Dr. Michael Gehrke waited almost three months before initiating the lawsuit against me. Months later a court date was set. All of the support I had been building as well as the research I had been doing would came down to this day. Why had Sitka not been seen by a vet between November 2011 and September 2013? How long was she with the homeless man? Did she have 2 litters of puppies prior to age 1? Even after making reference to laws in other states that considered the animals’ best interest in custody battles, this Judge ruled that Colorado law still sees dogs as property, stating, "The best interest of the dog is not the issue here." In fact, the Judge said that if it were, Sitka would be mine. Sitka was considered property, and my family was about to lose one of its members. Not ready to give up, I stepped up and posted a $2,400.00 bond, and our team readied for the next level--an appeal and then a trial.

This is an opportunity not only for myself and my dog, but it is an opportunity to change Colorado law.

When I adopted Sitka nearly four years ago, I did not realize that my rescued dog would end up costing thousands of dollars in legal fees. My hope is that we as a community of animal lovers can convince the opposing side not to take Sitka out of her loving home. Only so much of this is in my hands, but the more hands and voices we have, the louder and stronger we are! Please help Sitka to stay in her safe, loving home and community.

Ashlee is receiving pro bono legal assistance from Ethos Legal Services in Steamboat Springs; however, there are still court fees and costs that cannot be waived. This page is being set up to help offset those costs so that this issue can be resolved based on the integrity of the case and not based on who has deeper pockets. Thank you!

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