Missing dog captured on trail camera 11 months after avalanche separated him from owner

A Colorado surveillance camera captured a missing dog alive and apparently healthy after 11 months alone in the wild following an avalanche that separated the dog from its owner.

Jacob Dalbey identified his dog Ullr, a Border Collie Rottweiler mix, from photos taken Saturday and Sunday by one of the tracking cameras set up by a team of dog tracking experts he employed.

“After 341 days, 11 months to the day, of setting up surveillance cameras/food and moving them around in hopes of luring Ullr into one to finally get confirmation of what I knew all along, It happened,” Dalbey shared. Thursday on his GoFundMe page.

“To all of you, friends and supporters of Ullr (and me), I want to thank you so much. Knowing that you believe in us really means a lot, even if I don't say it. It's been extremely difficult to say it. At the very least, your support has allowed the search for Ullr to continue over the past 11 months,” Dalbey added.

Plans are now in place to bring Ullr home safely, but until Dalbey is reunited with his faithful companion, he is asking anyone in the area to continue to report paw prints, barking or any sighting of Ullr.

Dalbey was separated from his dog on March 17. He was caught in an avalanche near Chair Mountain while ski touring with two friends, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

Dalbey was seriously injured and hospitalized. His friend was killed in the accident. Rescuers found dog tracks emerging from the avalanche debris, indicating that Ullr had survived and fled the area.

“I was carried to 2,500 feet and completely buried with my right arm sticking out of the snow,” Dalbey told NBC affiliate station KUSA of the incident. “I was able to clear my airway immediately and then, in doing so, dug myself out for over three hours with a broken hand and frozen fingers.”

Dalbey's friend created a GoFundMe to raise money to hire a professional dog tracker. Dalbey asks the public to continue contributing to the page until Ullr is officially home.