A dog lost in the Colorado Rocky Mountains has been reunited with its owner after spending 43 days in the wilderness. Reports say the pooch, a 10-year-old brindle mix named Rocky, bolted away while being cared for by a pet sitter on December 28. His owner, Stephen Marr, had left Rocky while he traveled to California for work and had taken a break to ski in Montezuma when the dog ran off.
Fearing for Rocky’s safety, Marr and his partner, Kate, searched through the challenging terrain for hours, even during a snowstorm, before they decided to reach out to Summit Lost Pet Rescue for assistance.
The nonprofit jumped into action, setting up trail cameras and “smell stations” to attract Rocky, in addition to posting his pictures on social media. Brandon Ciullo, the rescue group’s founder, mentioned that he was quite worried. “We were definitely worried that Rocky wouldn’t survive the night,” he recalled.
After a few days in extreme cold, the rescue team spotted Rocky on a trail camera, confirming that he was still alive. Unfortunately, he remained elusive for the next 40 days. Marr had to make a difficult decision to relocate to California while volunteers continued to search for Rocky but scaled back their efforts over time.
On February 9, during another rescue operation, a resident’s Ring camera caught a glimpse of a dog thought to be Rocky. Ciullo, concerned about the dog’s well-being, rushed to the location. “We have to deal with Montezuma. This dog has been missing for 43 days and I believe he is dying of extreme starvation,” he explained regarding their urgent response.
Once Marr confirmed that it was Rocky, a trap was set up with a scent trail to lure him. Roughly three hours later, Rocky, feeling exhausted, fell asleep on a blanket inside the trap, but the mechanism didn’t close. After applying peanut butter to the trap, Rocky finally returned and was safely captured after 43 days in the wild.
When rescued, Rocky appeared “extremely emaciated,” having lost nearly half his weight, but was in surprisingly good health otherwise. He was joyfully reunited with Marr on February 13. “It was definitely very moving to meet Rocky and see how happy he was to meet me,” Marr shared.
Now, Rocky has settled into life in California. Marr noted how relieved he felt seeing that Rocky’s personality seemed unchanged despite his ordeal. “He quickly reverted to his old personality and I feel like he’s just a cuddle bug,” his owner marveled.
