- The Chaffins, along with their extended family and two other dogs were hiking the Capitol Creek Ditch Trail when Bella went missing.
- They set up a tent in the forest with Bella’s favorite toys to attract her.
- As sweet as the reunion story is, it was equally tough to see Bella having lost half her weight.
The loveable 10-month-old cockapoo, Bella, went missing on June 18th while hiking with her guardians, Jim and Betsy Chaffin, in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of central Colorado. After a very scary and stressful four weeks alone in the Elk mountains, Bella was finally found.
The Chaffins, along with their extended family and two other dogs were hiking the Capitol Creek Ditch Trail when Bella ran ahead to join their grandson. Since the grandson was aware that the group was behind him, he didn’t bother when Bella turned back. However, amidst the confusion, Bella got lost. When the group reunited, they came to realize that Bella was nowhere to be found.
Immediately, they divided into two search teams to find Bella but their efforts proved futile. When nobody was able to locate the puppy, the group headed home only to return the next day with “missing dog” posters. Days turned into weeks and the restlessness grew upon the Chaffins. Finally on the tenth day, there was a ray of hope when a local couple spotted a small white dog while hiking. They tried to approach her but the dog ran away. The news of the sighting lifted Chaffins spirits and there was a reassurance that Bella might still be alive.
The Chaffins put their whole heart into the search, implying almost every source they could think of: radio announcements, missing dog posters, calls to local groomers, veterinarians, and animal shelters. They also took help from a local animal safety and control officer, the director of the Aspen Animal Shelter, a dog who specializes in sniffing out missing pets and people and even a dog psychic.
Furthermore, they set up a tent in the forest with Bella’s favorite toys to attract her. However, their enormous efforts went futile again. Eventually their efforts paid off when a man named Rosario Ochoa who had noticed the missing poster of Bella spotted a small white dog along the roadside and suspected it to be Bella. Although the dog was scared and ran into the woods, Ochoa was able to coax her out with sweet talking. Ochoa then called the number on her tags and informed Chaffins that their precious friend had been found.
As sweet as the reunion story is, it was equally tough to see Bella having lost half her weight. She also had two porcupine quills lodged in her. Bella is being nursed back to good health in the comfort of her own home. The Chaffins are thrilled to have their furry friend back and look forward to many more happy times ahead.
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