Dog lost in Colorado’s high country for 43 days reunites with owner

You would not think a 10-year-old dog would have great odds after getting lost in Colorado’s high country in the dead of winter for 43 days—but Rocky is built different. The brindle mutt slipped his harness and bolted from a dog sitter in the Montezuma area of Summit County on December 28, right as his owner was in the middle of a cross-country move and had stopped for a quick ski-day pit stop.

After weeks of searching (and a whole lot of worry), the break came in February: the Summit County Sheriff’s Office says Rocky popped up on a neighbor’s security camera…just chilling on the porch near where he first escaped. The neighbor called, Animal Control got involved, and Summit Lost Pet Rescue jumped in with a live trap.

And because dogs are dogs, the big hero of the story might be peanut butter—”Summit Daily” reports Rocky was caught the same night he was spotted, February 9. He got checked by a vet, stayed at the local shelter until his owner could come back three days later, and the sheriff’s office says Rocky’s doing well—proof that pups are tough, and Colorado communities show up when it matters.