Lobo isn't a typical dog, says Port Coquitlam's Kareen Martel. Fiercely loyal and particularly social, her wolf/husky mix doesn't like to be left alone.
"He has a real personality," Martel said. "I always have to get daycare for him or babysitters."
Apparently, Lobo is also a pretty good explorer and seems to know his way around the Lower Mainland. The pooch went missing on Nov. 4 in Burnaby, leaving the Martel family to think their best friend was gone for good.
Nine days later, however, Lobo showed up outside their front door - in PoCo's Mary Hill neighbourhood.
"To go for nine whole days," Martel said. "What did he eat? Where did he sleep? I have no idea and we'll never know. Only he knows."
Martel had sent Lobo with a friend of hers that Friday morning so the dog would have someone to keep it company but it must have jumped out of the truck when they stopped at a job site at Sprott Street and Canada Way in Burnaby.
When her friend got back to Martel's house that afternoon, he realized Lobo wasn't in the truck anymore.
"He went back to look for him but couldn't find Lobo anywhere," Martel said. She alerted the SPCA and posted a lost dog ad on Craigslist; four days later, she got a call from someone on Braid Street in New Westminster saying Lobo had just been sighted.
"People were seeing him but couldn't catch him because he wouldn't go to anybody."
Another call came Sunday, this time from Colony Farm, and the Martels rushed over to scour the park, calling Lobo's name over and over again - but they went home empty handed.
Monday, Martel got up at 6 a.m. and started getting ready for the day when she heard a familiar whimpering sound. She opened the door and sitting outside was Lobo.
"He came in and smelled every inch of the house, checked out all the kids," Martel said. But apart from Lobo being very skinny and rather smelly - he'd clearly found some fish along his mysterious journey - the dog appeared to be fine.
Martel said she'd been considering adopting him out to a farm because she didn't feel right shuffling it around to different dogsitters all the time, and she wanted something better for Lobo.
"It doesn't matter now, though," she said. "Clearly, he thinks we're awesome."
