A puppy was rescued from a ditch that was covered in thick brambles five days after she vanished—thanks to a heat-seeking drone.
Six-month-old cocker spaniel Bow got lost while on a walk with her owner Jodie Dance, who hunted for hours on February 19 but was forced to abandon the search when it got dark.
The next day she put an appeal on Facebook for people to look out for her beloved pooch near where she went missing in Warwickshire, England.
Five days later a jogger in Burton Dassett Country Park overheard barking coming from a bramble-filled railway embankment about a mile away from the park and raised the alarm.
Drone search and rescue operator John Watton with Drone SAR For Lost Dogs UK used a thermal imaging camera to spot the animal trapped inside the thicket.
“A jogger heard barking but couldn’t see the dog so we were called in and I took the drone over to his location. Within a few minutes I picked up a heat signature.
“It was literally about 6-feet inside brambles but I got a heat signature of a fox-type size.”
Footage from Sunday’s rescue shows Jodie and her friends hacking down the thick brambles with hedge trimmers before hauling Bow to safety.
“Just the reaction from the owner was unbelievable. She was completely in tears,” said the 50-year-old drone operator.
“To be honest I was nearly blubbering.”
Jodie had taken Bow and her sister Bella for a run in the countryside when they both ran away.
HERO HUSKIE: Dog That Won’t Stop Digging Saves Entire Neighborhood After They Find Dangerous Gas Leak Underground
“They are only pups but they love running so I took them to Burton Dassett and let them off the lead. They were having a fabulous time on the hills but then both disappeared from view and then only Bella came back.”
LOOK: Man Whose Dog Ran Away While He Was in a Coma Is Reunited Thanks to Strangers on Internet
“Drone SAR were just brilliant.
“It’s a miracle she was found and it wouldn’t have happened without the thermal drone.”
SHARE THE PAWESOME Solution With Dog Owners on Social Media…