Safe – Thermal Drone Support Bedfordshire

Leon the Crossbreed

“Rescue dog, Leon, had just travelled into the UK 24 hours prior when he managed to slip from his owner’s grasp whilst they were changing his lead on a walk outside the owner’s home. We went out that night and provided advice, trail cameras, and a food station just outside the house. Just as we were about to leave, Meg saw an animal dart out from behind the owner’s garden. It was Leon! We hoped he would return home overnight with the owner’s door open, but sadly he did not. Our trapping lady, Gill, travelled over with a trap the next day, and after three long nights of monitoring between Sam, Gill, and Meg, with Leon coming and going, he finally gained enough confidence to step into the trap, which was filled with Polish foods his owner had lovingly cooked for him, and he was successfully trapped on night three!”

Poppy the Cockerpoo

“Awareness that Poppy was missing in a small populated village with a huge boundary was key to sightings. Sightings in one area over 2 days meant we could place a trap and sit and wait. Poppy did not appear on the first night after a full monitoring by our team and Poppy’s owner. With no constant monitoring available during the day yesterday, the trap had to be left unset, but Poppy showed herself quite early, and her owner arrived within minutes. Poppy watched her from a distance and then walked off. She was still very scared of everyone, even her owner. But the owner’s worn clothing left on fence posts in the area meant they must be close, and Poppy stayed. That evening, she entered the trap numerous times without treading on the ‘plate,’ which would’ve triggered it to close. Having the scent of her owners all over the trap after placing their worn clothing on it and in it, she was happy to enter and make herself comfortable, still without setting it off! She wasn’t interested in the steak, chicken, or fish left in the trap—it was the clothing smelling of her family! She was successfully caught on a slip lead by Gill.”

Daisy the Crossbreed

“Daisy had been dropped off to a new owner and within a couple of hours she had slipped her collar and bolted. A drone wasn’t required for this puppy as she was being sighted in a built-up area. As we walked around the corner to set the trap, there she was, sitting watching the entrance to the parking spaces! As soon as she saw us, she attempted to climb the 6ft fence behind her. Gill set the trap up out and left it a distance away covered in tarpaulin. Over the hours, Daisy came to eat the food around the trap, then when she spotted us, she would growl, bark and rush back to the corner of the parking area. After 5 hours and Daisy looking slightly more confident, we decided to move the trap closer to her. After deciding to leave the area and allow Daisy to take her time, we took a final glance at the trap in person when we saw Daisy was half in the trap … and then bang! She triggered the plate and the trap closed!”

Freddie the Springer Spaniel

“Freddie went missing while out on a walk in Rowney Warren. He was sighted after 2 hours but bolted again. We hoped Freddie would return to the car and his waiting owners once he had calmed down, but he didn’t. There were sightings of him having crossed the A600 toward Shefford and near a busy roundabout. Just as the drone went up and confirmation that we were there, Freddie was spotted. His owner, sitting in the car near the sighting, got out. We could see what was unfolding using the drone, and we called his owners (Rich and Becki) and explained to Rich to try to keep him calm and not panic, just as Becki went for it! Freddie was safely secured.”

Hoshi the Chow Chow

“Hoshi had been missing for 36 hours in Northamptonshire with no sightings when Meg offered her help to Hoshi’s owners. Rarely will a rescue provide support to an owner when the search is a ‘needle in a haystack,’ but we are different! Using the thermal drone, Meg noticed a heat source very far away in a building site, so far away in fact she had to drive to the location to keep the drone within visual line of sight. Meg guides Hoshi’s owner to the area and instructs him to sit down and softly call. Hoshi is within his sight at this point, as you can see in the top left picture. Hoshi is hesitant at first, but once she recognises her owner, she is quick to run over to him wagging her tail!”

Poppy the Cockerpoo

“Poppy, the 6-month-old cockerpoo puppy, was spooked by two dogs on her walk in Letchworth. On arrival to the location, we heard barking but were unsure if it was a local dog or Poppy! Five minutes after the drone went up, Meg found Poppy on the thermal drone! The owner was given instructions as to what to do to get Poppy back safely and to not spook her further into the woodland. It was a relief to see her owner carry her out of the woodland safe and sound. Without the use of a thermal drone, it could’ve been many hours until Poppy was located. And with the temperature dropping to -3°C that night, we were massively concerned for Poppy’s welfare.”

Cooper the Labrador x Saluki

“Cooper, a Labrador x Saluki had jumped from a 1st floor window and managed to escape the garden late one evening. Cooper is a rescue dog, found on the streets of Dubai and adopted by the family, he came home with them when they returned to the UK. Cooper was sighted multiple times over 12 days, we went out with the drone multiple times, cameras and traps were also set and we plotted maps of the sightings. Cooper was back over the A1 and the railway line! Cooper was finally sighted using our thermal drone but he disappeared into woodland. The next day we picked Cooper up again on the thermal drone and after 12 days wandering the Hertfordshire countryside, we were delighted to see Cooper confidently wanting to get to his owners through the crop field as he ran towards them and was safely caught!”