A cherished canine that dashed into the Colorado wilderness has finally been reunited with his owner after enduring 43 days in the challenging terrain of the Rocky Mountains, as per recent reports.
Owner Steven Maa had temporarily entrusted his ten-year-old brindled mutt, aptly named Rocky, to a pet sitter on December 28 when the dog got startled and fled into the mountainous landscape, according to NJ.com.
Maa, originally from New Jersey, had paused in Montezuma for a skiing trip while en route to California for a new job. Unfortunately, during this brief stop, Rocky vanished, leaving Maa and his partner, Kate, desperate to find him.
Amid a snowstorm, the couple scoured the steep mountainsides into the early hours, eventually reaching out to Summit Lost Pet Rescue, a nonprofit organization, for assistance in their search.
The rescue team swiftly deployed trail cameras and established a “scent station” infused with familiar smells to attract Rocky. They also circulated his pictures across social media, hoping to locate him.
“Steve [the owner] was genuinely worried that Rocky might not make it through the night,” shared the rescue group’s founder, Brandon Ciullo, with the publication.
“I explained to him, we’ve been doing this for 10 years. My biggest worry and concern is vehicles, then wildlife, and then environment,” Ciullo recalled.
After three days of looking for Rocky in subzero temperatures, the rescue team spotted him on a trail camera, confirming he was alive. But the pup was not located again for 40 days, the outlet said.
Maa dedicated over a week of grueling hours searching for Rocky, but made the “heart-wrenching” choice to continue his move to California.
Volunteers still scoured the mountains for Rocky every day while his heartbroken owner helped from afar — but the group had to scale down their search efforts after a few weeks.
On Feb. 9, a resident’s Ring camera shockingly captured a dog believed to be Rocky while Ciullo was on another pet rescue mission.
“I apologized to the owner and said, ‘I need to respond to Montezuma. This dog has been missing for 43 days, and I’m sure it is extremely starving and very, very close to dying.’ So, we drove up there,” Ciullo said.
Maa confirmed the photo was of Rocky, and rescuers set up a trap with more scent trails to capture the pup.
Just three hours later, Rocky scampered into the trap and slept on the blanket, but the trigger on the trap door did not close, the outlet said.
After Ciullo smeared the trap with peanut butter, Rocky came back hours later and was finally safe and secure after 43 days.
Rocky looked “super emaciated” and had lost nearly half his weight, but was otherwise in good condition and was reunited with his owner on Feb. 13.
“Getting to see Rocky and seeing how happy he was to see me was definitely very emotional,” Maa told the outlet.
Rocky is now living in California with Maa, where he has adjusted back to domestic life — far away from the mountains.
“It didn’t seem like his personality or his emotions had changed at all, so that was super comforting to see and surprising,” Maa said.
“I feel like he jumped straight back into his old personality and just being a cuddle bug.”
