Marco, aka Einstein, is a rescue dog who had a rough start to life in China, before being brought to Canada for a new life. His past is unknown, but what we do know is he’s clearly an outdoor enthusiast and survival expert! He arrived in Squamish, a beautiful mountain town close to Whislter, Canada’s top ski destination and one of the world’s best. Whn he saw the amazing scenery, he took off on a hike… That lasted 45 days!
You’d expect most dogs in an unfamiliar area, especially a rescue dog, would not have the best time lost on their own. Marco, on the other paw, seemed to have a blast. Pique News Magazine reported “This intrepid canine explorer led pursuers through the woods and over the bridges of Squamish, successfully crossing highways and busy roadways while repeatedly evading the multiple human beings trying to intervene. He found reliable sources of food in safe neighbourhoods, and established stomping grounds he judged to be safe, never letting anyone get near enough to grab ahold of him as he roamed across a 25-kilometre area.”
Speaking with Pique News Magazine, Canine Valley (a wellness, education, and training center for dogs based in the area that also searches for lost dogs in the area) said “We have been searching for dogs for a long time, offering this service for Squamish and other communities, and we’ve successfully done hundreds of successful searches. Marco was the first of his kind,” “He’s extremely intelligent, very good at understanding human body language, and he seemed to understand how the human world works. We thought we would’ve caught him with certain traps, but he just wouldn’t fall for them.”
“That’s why we call him Einstein – because he was just too smart for us. We had cameras set up to watch him interact with the traps. We could see him look into a trap, and really think about it, then decide to leave it. His thinking skills were really remarkable. This isn’t really the story of a lost dog because he wasn’t lost. Once Marco got into certain neighbourhoods he developed a pattern of safe places and he stayed there. We saw him on the trail cams walking around in the forest happily. He was having a great time.”
Valley Calderoni of Canine Valley explaining Marco’s nickname to Pique News Magazine.
They were eventually successful after weeks of sightings and friendly interactions with other humans and dogs, along with leaving food, scent markers, and attempts to safely trap. It was thanks to Randi Olson of Neighbourhood Animals Needing Assistance (NANA) who Einstein joined for a walk on June 30th, with Randi able to eventually lead him to a humane trap. He was then brought back to Canine Valley for his first vet visit, then started top-notch training to help him turn from a wild to a chilled-out pup. Soon he will have a nice family in the area that he can show around to all his favourite spots!
For another impressive doggo, check out the Story of Mike the Bartending Dog.