Dog who ran away in Colorado mountains reunites with owner after 43 days

A dog was recently reunited with his owner after surviving 43 days alone in the Rocky Mountains near Montezuma, Colorado.

Rocky escaped after Christmas while staying with a pet sitter as his owner, Steven Maa, traveled to California for a new job. With help from Summit Lost Pet Rescue volunteers, Maa and his partner Kate searched for Rocky. The rescue group set up trail cameras, scent stations, and shared photos on social media, soon confirming the pup was alive after three days despite subzero temperatures.

Volunteers kept searching the mountainous area every day even after Maa moved to California, though efforts eventually tapered off as time passed. Then on February 9th, a local resident’s doorbell camera captured footage of a dog believed to be Rocky, leading rescue founder Brandon Ciullo to return to the area to set additional scent trails and traps. At one point, Rocky entered a trap without triggering it, but rescuers later used peanut butter to successfully trap him.

When found, Rocky was severely underweight after having lost nearly half his body weight but was otherwise in good condition. He was soon reunited with Maa and later traveled to California, where he has adjusted back to life at home. Maa says seeing Rocky again was emotional and notes the dog quickly returned to his familiar personality.