He is called Marlow The Brave and has earned that name, to be sure.
Eight-year-old Marlow, a black-haired rescue who hails from the streets of Mexico, went missing from his Paradise Valley home on May 8.
The saga he and his fur parents endured is quite the tale.
Lost
As his fur dad, Thomas Matthew, tells it, Marlow ran into the woods behind his neighbour's house to chase something and did not return when called, which was not like him.
"My nerves began to spark. I started calling him and climbed into the hills to investigate," Matthew recalled in a written account he sent to The Squamish Chief.
"Calling felt silly. Marlow doesn't wander off, and he doesn't need to be called home. I knew that he was either gone to coyotes, trapped/injured somewhere, chased away and lost, or 'rescued' and brought home with someone."
That first day turned to night, but no Marlow.
Coyotes are often heard howling very loudly nearby, and given that it is birthing season for pups, for more than two days, his human parents worried and feared the worst.
The day after he went missing, Matthew set out looking for Marlow with one of his dog buddies, Pedro.
"I brought one of Marlow's canine friends out to sniff around, but we found zero sign of our buddy," Matthew said.
They did, however, find a coyote den.
“We actually ended up encircled and squaring off with multiple wild canids, but our fearless presence asserted dominance over the situation and the dogs receded. Not before darting between us though, snapping at Pedro and attempting to separate the two of us,” Matthew said.
A team of friends arrived that afternoon, and they attempted to comb the nearby hills for Marlow.
"The sun set on day two, and still no sign of Marlow."
Day 3
“Day three was numb, but we remained positive,” Matthew said.
“It felt like there was nothing we could do, but we couldn't do nothing.”
A former neighbour arrived with a 10-month-old Shepherd mix named Keo, a friend of Marlow's.
Hope returned, Matthew said.
"My body was tired and battered from scaling the rocks for two days, but I suddenly didn't notice it and felt ready for another trip," he said.
"We let Keo sniff Marlow's collar and set off saying, 'Where's Marlow?' while the excited pup—who was slightly disinterested after an already busy day of playing and training—followed the two of us improvisationally up the mountain."
Found
At a plateaued area, the humans noticed a change in Keo. They watched the dog's energy and focus shift.
Keo’s owner stopped as he thought he heard a bark, and Keo was honing in on some fallen trees.
"I crouched down over a basketball-sized gap under a mossy log and called in, 'Marlow?'" Matthew said.
"After a couple of confused barks and whimpers, the mossy hole in the rock began to emit a rhythmic cadence of excited barking."
Marlow was found on May 10 down a very narrow six-metre (20-foot) hole, about a 20-minute hike up a mountainous slope.
Extracting Marlow was another ordeal that took the help of climbing equipment and skilled human friends.
"After an exciting rescue mission, we took him to the vet where all of his puncture wounds were uncovered, and it was clear that he had been lured, attacked, and chased by at least two coyotes," reads Marlow's Instagram story.
(Of course, Marlow has his own Instagram, run by his fur mom, Arielle Cohen: Marlow The Brave.)
Marlow, the beloved
Matthew credits "the beautiful team at Garibaldi Veterinary Clinic" for caring for Marlow, as well as the community of dog lovers who have come forward to offer support and well wishes for the pooch and his family.
"The amount of love and support that's been pouring in from friends, family and social media is wonderful," he said.
Matthew says that Marlow is happy and soaking up the love around him, but does seem traumatized by the ordeal.
When he recently heard coyotes howling nearby he got scared.
"He was in the middle of the room whimpering, and he'd peed on the floor, and he'd never done that," Matthew told The Squamish Chief.
"He is Marlow The Brave, and he'll greet you with a toothy smile and kind, playful eyes. Some people have been calling him a fighter, but he's really a lover. This is my new favourite magical love story, and I'm very glad to be able to share it."
Cohen has launched a GoFundMe that tells more of the story. Funds will go toward Marlow and Keo. Go to "Marlow's Miracle: Help us Cover Unexpected Veterinary Costs to donate or to read more.
