Nick Coltrain

nickcoltrain@coloradoan.com

For months, Erin Doonan just wanted the dog next door to quit barking. But posting an online ad about the animal being chained up during Fort Collins' recent cold snap ignited a new firestorm.

Doonan's inbox filled up with more than 1,000 emails and cars have steadily trolled down her street looking for the pit bull. Someone started a Facebook page that soon gathered 1,100-plus "likes" and included warnings against stealing the animal.

She called the repercussions of the ad, which added the neighbor's address Tuesday, "awful."

"I'm not looking to be a crusader in all this," Doonan said. "I was looking for help."

Animal protection and control officers investigated the incident Tuesday afternoon, and are working to resolve it, Derek Brown, spokesman for the Larimer Humane Society, said.

But the phone calls, emails, tweets and Facebook postings kept pouring in. A Californian called representing a friend in New Zealand and animal lovers emailed in from New Jersey and Wisconsin. A person in Tampa, Florida, even started a Change.org petition to try to compel Gov. John Hickenlooper to intervene.

"People think we haven't done anything and we have," Brown said. "And we continue to do it. It's an ongoing thing."

The dog appeared to be in good health Tuesday, though its makeshift shelter — a piece of plywood leaning against a tree — wasn't deemed adequate for cold weather, Brown said. The Humane Society offered bedding and a doghouse, part of a new program to ensure the welfare of outside dogs, but the owner told the Humane Society she'll buy her own.

Doonan said she heard power tools and saw the neighbors with building materials Thursday.

Brown said the Humane Society will follow up to ensure the health of the animal, with continued checks going forward. Owners who fail to comply on follow-up welfare checks can be cited. If the animal is deemed to be in immediate danger, it can be taken from the situation.

The Humane Society deals with these kind of situations on a daily basis, Brown said. Officers will look for adequate shelter, food and water access, and that the animal is "responsibly tethered." Regarding weather, considerations depend on the breed and upbringing of the animal, Brown said. While concerned residents reported that the pit bull was heard whining and yelping during the cold snap, the dog appeared to be fine when animal control checked it Tuesday afternoon.

"This dog has been raised outside its whole life it seems," Brown said. "I'm sure it's a little more acclimated to the cold than your typical couch-surfing pit bull."

The social media outburst is what really separated this case. It even prompted response from Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith, via his own Facebook.

He thanked all who messaged him and told his followers that Animal Protection and Control had checked out the situation.

"I've worked with the Animal Protection and Control staff for many years and know them to be very compassionate and professional," he wrote.

But one animal welfare advocate wants to go further. Mary Roberts, who helped found Colorado Citizens for Canine Welfare, said she will use this as a starting point for a stricter tethering law in Larimer County, if not the state. She's researching specifics but plans to gather signatures come spring. While opposed to all-day tethering, Roberts realizes leashes can keep dogs from jumping fences or otherwise escaping a yard.

But a law alone won't be enough, she acknowledges, especially with animal control officers suffering cutbacks and tight budgets.

"A law, no matter how strict, is going to rely on people like Erin to report it," Roberts said.

She also plans to petition to ban the retail sale of animals in an effort to fight puppy mills.