North Carolina - This dog is one tough cookie! After surviving a vicious coyote attack in the wooded area behind its home, this senior golden retriever's family is beyond thrilled their fur baby is alive and well, but there's more to this cutie's story than meets the eye.

Cooper the golden retriever recently made his triumphant return to his well-loved home in North Carolina, but not unscathed.

His owner, Jake Master, recently launched a GoFundMe for the precious pup, detailing what the dog had been through since escaping their yard.

"On Saturday, September 26th, our senior Golden Retriever, Cooper, slipped out of our fenced yard and disappeared into 800 acres of woods in the Blue Ridge foothills behind our property," Master wrote on the GoFundMe page.

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"After a day and night of searching, including help from a thermal-imaging drone operator, we found him about 23 hours later at the bottom of a river embankment, exhausted and gravely injured by a coyote attack."

According to Cooper's owner, they raced the dog to Western Carolina Regional Animal Hospital in Flat Rock, North Carolina, where the family learned their furry friend, who they adopted three years ago, had actually been "severely mauled by a pack of wolves."

While the team at the animal hospital was able to stabilize his body and deep clean his wounds in effort to deter possible infection, it became evident that Cooper's muscle damage was more significant than they'd previously realized and doctors were concerned about his skin dying off.

"He will likely need multiple surgeries and skin grafts," Master wrote. While he mentioned Cooper's "happy spirit was already returning," the surgeries and procedures he'll need are not cheap.

"Seeing Cooper hurt after searching and worrying for so long, was devastating, and now we are focused on helping him recover after everything he’s been through," the dog's owner wrote. "The funds we raise will go toward emergency vet care. Cooper is receiving the best care possible and we will do everything we can to help him recover."

One visitor and donor to the GoFundMe offered words of encouragement for the senior doggo: "Keep healing, sweet Cooper."

So far, the GoFundMe has received 620 donations and counting, totaling $28,121 – not too far from their $35,000 goal. You can read more about the attack and donate on the official GoFundMe page.