10/07/2024
Recently a couple reached out to me that had lost their dog named “Genny” at the Sideling Hill Rest Area off of Interstate 68 East. They were traveling on their way home from vacation and stopped at the rest area. They opened the door to let their dog out and put the leash on her and the dog and it took off. The dog is skittish and definitely does not like the noise of the traffic on the highway. I told them I would be right out. The area is dense forest with steep terrain and would take time and patience complete. The story unfolds over the next 3 day’s and is a great example of teamwork, patience, and effort.
Wednesday September 25th:
I arrived around 11:00 am to meet the owners and evaluated the situation and weather. At this point the dog had been missing almost 24 hours. Due to low clouds and low visibility, I was not able to fly and conduct a search. I waited around for a while to see if the weather would improve, but it did not. It was decided to return the next day to attempt a search again.
Thursday September 26th:
I coordinated with the owners and we arrived at the location around 2:00 pm and the weather had improved from the day before. The dog had now been missing for 48 hours. I was able to now finally begin the search for Genny. We discussed the best plan and where to begin the search and got in the air and very meticulously began to search for her. We were finding birds, squirrels, deer and finally 2 hours into it, THERE SHE WAS!!!! I found Genny curled up and sleeping tucked in the dense forest. You can hear in the video the emotional moment for the owners when we found her. By this time, it was approximately 4:30 pm and it took about an hour for the owners to navigate the thick steep terrain to even get close to her. They were able to get within 30 yards and make visual contact with Genny. She definitely saw him and was wagging her tail but would not commit to coming to him. Now, it was beginning to get dark and the decision was made for the owner’s safety to start working there way back down off the mountain which they were unfamiliar with. When they reached the bottom, we discussed the situation and decided we would come back the next day and continue. I did do one final flight under darkness to confirm with the drone that Genny was still in the last location I had for her. The owners at least now know where Genny is and that she is unharmed and alive.
Friday September 27th:
The weather again was not cooperative with low clouds and visibility that did not allow for launching the drone. Genny has been missing for 72 hours at this point. Now armed with knowing the location and vicinity of Genny from Thursday evening, the owners along with a family member, and the assistance of Diana Swart with Friends of KC decided they would hike back up to the coordinates provided to see if they could locate and rescue her. If not, I would come out with the drone again the following day. About 4:00 pm my phone rang and it was the owner calling to tell me that they got Genny!!! She was a short distance up the mountain from where we found her on Thursday with the drone and they were able to secure her.
Thermal drones are just one tool in the tool bag, you also have dog tracker’s, trappers, and lost pet recovery groups, all of which work and have specific applications and strengths. Sometimes it takes more than one tool to successfully rescue your pet. I would also like to thank Diana Swart with Friends of KC who rearranged her schedule to assist the owners on the ground in the rescue of Genny.
SkyBorne Drone Solutions is here if you need us, so give us a call if you find yourself in a situation like this and don’t know where to begin. Finding and locating your lost pet is the beginning to developing a plan to bring them home quickly and safely.
