The Aspen Times
Betsy and Jim Chaffin hold their 10-month-old dog, Bella, at their home Friday, July 23. Bella was lost in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area for a month and was found after the community rallied together to help track her down.
Photo by Kelsey Brunner / The Aspen Times
ASPEN — A little cockapoo relied on a big heart, wily wits and maybe a little luck to survive four weeks in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area near Aspen.
Bella disappeared June 18 while hiking the Capitol Creek Ditch Trail with Betsy and Jim Chaffin and their extended family, including two other dogs. Bella had gone ahead of the human pack with the Chaffins’ grandson and other dogs when she turned around. Somehow, she got off course and, willingly or not, went on an epic journey.