In the early summer of 2021 a tiny, 10-month-old cockapoo disappeared while hiking with her family in the Maroon Bells/Snowmass Wilderness Area near Aspen. “Bella” was not on lead; she was walking with her human and canine family when something caught her attention and she wandered off-trail. By the time anyone noticed that she was missing, she’s wandered into the woods and was lost.

For the next 4 weeks Bella somehow managed to stay alive, eating whatever she could find, drinking out of rainwater pools and streams, and hiding — hiding from humans and from predators that would have gladly had her for lunch. She was in survival mode, terrified of everyone and everything, focusing only on staying alive from one day to the next.

And then the near-impossible happened, she was found by a human passer-by who possessed the skills and intuition that it took to coax a terrified little dog (by that time she had lost half her body weight and was down to 4 pounds) into the safety of his car. Bella was safely reunited with her people. The wounds she’d received during her month-long sojourn in the wild were tended to, and she returned home to safety.

This story had a happy ending, but happy endings where lost dogs are concerned are not the norm. By some estimates, under the very best of circumstances, only 1 in 5 lost dogs are ever reunited with their people. When a dog is lost in a wilderness area, the statistics can plummet.

Jefferson County Open Space has a regulation concerning dogs in the parks — they’re to be kept on lead and attached to their humans at all times. They’re not allowed to run loose, they’re not allowed to chase wildlife, they’re not allowed to chase other park visitors. This regulation is not meant to be “mean”, it’s meant to ensure that your fur-buddy doesn’t end up as another “Bella”, with an 80%+ chance of never being seen again.

Avoid the heartbreak of loosing your best friend; stay connected. Stay safe. Both of you.