A dog is now safe at home after going missing for several days in the Santa Monica Mountains, prompting a widespread search for the furry companion.
The dog, Smokey, was reunited with his owner after both of Jim Murphy’s dogs ran away.
“This guy got out and pulled out of his leash, and so Smokey decided we should go for an adventure, you know,” he said.
The smaller dog was found quickly, but Smokey was still missing and that’s when Murphy called Dog Days Search & Rescue.
Seven days later, neighbors reached out saying they could see the dog 200 feet down the Malibu Canyon in rugged, hard-to-reach terrain.
“It was a difficult location for anybody to just easily go down and get a large dog up from the canyon,” said Linda Pearson, a volunteer with the rescue team.
Malibu Search and Rescue also got involved and after about two hours, they found Smokey in the canyon – exhausted, but happy to be found.
“When we were sitting there waiting for the team to come down, we definitely heard coyotes and a couple of times he perked up and growled in a certain direction. I don’t know if he would’ve survived another night,” said Deputy Neal Thornhill.
Murphy lost his home in the Woolsey Fire and now lives in an RV with his two dogs that he calls his roommates.
“I can’t believe that between all the neighbors… how everybody came together. It’s like a miracle. It really is, it’s like a miracle. I can’t thank everybody enough,” he said.