Couple offers $20,000 reward to find missing puppy

“It has been tough,” Stirling Martin said, describing life without Marlowe. “You feel like to have lost a family member.”

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A Toronto couple is offering a $20,000 reward to anyone who can help them locate their missing puppy.

Marlowe, an eight-month-old Golden Doodle, disappeared Jan. 2 near the Laurentian town of Lac-Supérieur after being let outside to pee.

Stirling Martin and his wife, Chloe Rodgers, fear someone may have stolen Marlowe after she wandered away from their chalet. “We aren’t rich or anything; we just really want her back,” said Martin, an Air Canada pilot.

After Marlowe disappeared, the couple and other members of their family spent hours hiking through the woods and went door-to-door in the neighbourhood near the ski hill.

They then hired a dog tracker, whose bloodhound followed Marlowe’s scent from the chalet, through the woods to Duplessis St., on the north side of Mont Tremblant ski resort.

The bloodhound lost the scent near the road.

Martin said he fears skiers, who left the hill that afternoon, may have taken their dog. A local could also have taken the puppy, he said.

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The couple hired a drone operator and a helicopter pilot to help with the search, but were unsuccessful. They have also searched Facebook for posts that keep track of missing dogs.

The couple say they will pay $20,000 cash for the safe return of Marlowe, no questions asked.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge demand for dogs across Quebec. The puppy is their first family dog and she was helping them get through the monotony of the pandemic.

A Facebook page dedicated to finding Marlowe has been liked by more than 1,000 people. The page includes pictures of the smiling couple with their pet. There’s also a “message” from Marlowe, pleading with people “to help me find my family.”

Martin said they have been heartened by messages of support from fellow dog owners and remain hopeful they’ll be reunited with their puppy.

“It has been tough,” he said, describing life without Marlowe. “You feel like to have lost a family member. There’s a point that you have to move on, but we aren’t there yet.”

The couple can be reached at 416-898-5735.

kwilton@postmedia.com