GUNNISON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The search continues for 7-year-old Ullr, a border collie, rottweiler and wolf mix, who was lost during a deadly avalanche southwest of the town of Marble in Colorado two weeks ago.
Now, his owner is looking for help from trained scent and search dogs to help find his best friend.
“They got me and flew me to the Aspen Valley Hospital. At that point, all night I thought Ullr was buried and dead,” Ullr’s owner, Jacob Dalbey said.
Dalbey survived the avalanche.
“It carried me 2,500 feet and fully buried me and fully buried my friend Joel who passed away, and I had to dig myself out for three-plus hours,” Daleby said.
Dalbey said the day after the avalanche, there was a glimpse of hope that his dog was still alive after tracks were found in the area.
“They did notice tracks leaving the debris field and exiting all the way out the drainage which is five miles away,” Dalbey said.
For the past 16 days, Dalbey has been continuing to search for Ullr. He has used drones, put up posters in the area, set up feeding and scent stations, and placed trail cameras in areas they have seen tracks.
“The only option at this point is to bring in a scent tracker dog to verify if any of these tracks we are seeing are his,” Dalbey said. “Cause they are in opposite directions. Either he is still hanging around the area or he’s trying to make his way back to Carbondale.”
Dalbey has started a GoFundMe to raise money to have search and scent dogs come out and identify the tracks.
“With these tracks, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. We are up there during the day, and everything I’ve read, it says he’s probably moving mostly at night,” Dalbey said.
A reward has also been put into place, although he doesn’t have an exact amount.
“A reward will be offered to anyone who finds Ullr or has information leading to finding him,” he said.
Ullr, according to Dalbey, loves to be outside. He said Ullr has the coloring of a rottweiler with a fluffy tail and skinny legs. He said he is a friendly dog.
Ullr could still possibly be wearing the orange backpack seen in photos that Dalbey shared. But Dalbey said he isn’t sure if the backpack is still on Ullr.
“I have no doubt he’s still alive. He has spent more time in the backcountry than any other dog ever,” Dalbey said. “He has a furry coat and can stay warm and I’m sure he can feed himself.”
Despite his injuries from the avalanche, Dalbey said he is continuing to go up to the area, hike and look for Ullr. He said they have found dog scat in the area but it’s not confirmed to be Ullr’s.
“If any dog could do what he did, it would be him for sure,” Dalbey said.
There have also been a few possible sightings of Ullr, but Dalbey said they haven’t confirmed if it was indeed his dog or other wildlife.
“All my energy is focused on finding him,” Dalbey said.
Anyone with information or sightings of where Ullr might be is asked to contact the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office or the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’d love to have him back. He’s my best friend,” Dalbey said.