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Dog Remains With Woman Who Found Her Despite Judge's Ruling

By Matt Kroschel

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- A bitter battle over where a Siberian husky will live for the rest of her life continues.

A judge in Steamboat Springs ruled last week the dog named Sitka should be returned to her original owner, despite the bond the dog has formed with her new owner in Steamboat Springs.

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Ashlee Anderson walking Sitka (credit: CBS)

Michael Gehrke said the husky, who he named Mya, ran away from his home near Cañon City in September 2013.

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The dog at the center of the custody battle, Mya, now renamed Sitka (credit: Michael Gehrke)

The dog was soon adopted by Ashlee Anderson and brought to Steamboat where it continues to live despite the judges ruling.

Anderson says efforts to find the original owner were unsuccessful when the dog was found in 2013 in Fremont County so she gave the dog a "good home."

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Sitka (credit: CBS)

Anderson discovered the dog had a microchip. That microchip alerted Gehrke that his long-lost dog had been found in Steamboat Springs after she was picked up by animal control and scanned.

Despite a judge ruling in favor of Gehrke, both dog parents remain locked in a tense custody dispute over the husky.

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CBS4's Matt Kroschel interviews Ashlee Anderson (credit: CBS)

Anderson and her attorney plan to fight the ruling. She has started a crowdfunding page raising money for her legal fight.

Anderson also put up a $2,400 bond to keep possession of Sitka, while she appeals the ruling.

Gehrke, who sued Anderson to get the husky back, is being represented by Denver attorney Jay Wayne Swearingen, who specializes in animal law.

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Sitka (credit: CBS)

Swearingen told CBS4 his client is not going to stop fighting until he gets his dog back.

Gehrke had the husky for about three years before she went missing. As the legal battle continues both dog parents are vowing to not back down.

Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.

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