The daring rescue of an injured dog, stranded on a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado, made national news last month. Two rescuers at the heart of the rescue are former neighbors on Birchwood Court in West Windsor and alumni of West Windsor-Plainsboro — Stefan Kleinschuster, a 1988 graduate, and John Steed, Class of 1989. Both appeared on the nationally televised Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 17 to recount the adventure.
Kleinschuster attended Rutgers and graduated from Colorado State University with bachelor and master degrees in art. He has been a full-time painter for 10 years. Married, his wife is pregnant with their first child (and very nervous when he announced he was going on the rescue mission).
Steed graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in kinesiology in 1994. He is the owner of Ski Trip Advisors in Fort Collins, Colorado. “I came out here to visit Stefan and never left,” he says.
The two WW-P alumni became involved in the rescue shortly after a couple discovered the stranded dog on August 11 high up on Mount Bierstadt in Clear Creek County, Colorado. When no law enforcement agency would respond — they said animals are outside their jurisdiction — the couple sought the help of volunteer animal rescue organizations.
Kleinschuster and Steed joined six others to climb to within 1,000 feet of the summit and retrieve the dog. As Kleinschuster posted on the website, www.bolsar.org:
“John Steed had driven from his Fort Collins home down to Loveland that afternoon to ask me if I could go. The rumors were that she was left on her own for between three and nine days.”
When the rescue party reached the dog, Kleinschuster continued, “she was wary of us, so we decided to wait for the dog whisperer of the group, John Steed. He had been a champion of dogs for many years, and was well known to the German shepherd rescue organizations back on the front range for his reliability in rehabbing abused dogs. I knew him as someone whose energy soothed even the most distressed animals.
“John eased up to her and stuck his hand out with confidence, which she smelled and licked, her guard dropping. She lapped a few dishes full of water and ate a bite or two of a dog-treat as we speculated about which routes we could take, depending on if she could walk or not. We all got to know her a bit, and we agreed that it was time to move her to better ground, if she could walk. We helped her up, and her legs shook so much I thought she was going to collapse. It was clear then that she would have never made it out on her own, if we hadn’t come.”
This week Steed and Kleinschuster reflected on their moment in the national spotlight enroute to visit Lucky Missy, as she is called now, and give her some of the gifts that have been pouring in from Facebook friends. “The goal now is to get her out of the shelter and into a home,” says Steed, who is trying to adopt her.
At the DeGeneres show, the two were struck by the passion the host — an animal lover — had for the subject. And, said Steed, “the outpouring of love from the audience really hit me.”
“We realized the need for an alpine search and rescue,” Kleinschuster said. There is also a need for education on the ethical treatment of animals. “We all have the opportunity to make a difference.”
Visit www.bolsar.org (The Brothers of Search & Rescue) to read the complete story, volunteer, donate money or equipment, or purchase logo clothing to develop and maintain a statewide database of volunteers trained and willing to attempt rescues within the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Donations may also be sent to BOLSAR, 4709 Cliff View Lane, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526. Visit www.facebook.com/TBOLRescue for updates on Lucky Missy.
