New drone to help track down missing dogs
Drone SAR For Lost Dogs IOWA thermal imaging drone donated to a volunteer group will be used to reunite missing dogs with their owners.
Drone SAR For Lost Dogs Isle of Wight said Friends of the Animals had provided the team with the drone to support rescue efforts across the island.
Volunteer Mickey Lewis described the top-of-the-range equipment as a "game changer" that would dramatically improve searches in the area.
The group, which has reunited 54 dogs with their owners since launching two-and-a-half years ago, said the drone would help save more animals and bring them home safely.
Drone SAR For Lost Dogs IOWLewis said the team's 48 volunteers - including drone pilots, ground searchers and dog handlers - often respond to multiple incidents in a single day.
"Having drones means we can search vast areas in minutes that would take a ground team hours to search," he said.
The organisation searches farmland, woodland, cliffs and remote countryside, using thermal imaging technology to locate missing dogs in challenging conditions.
The drone was donated after the group helped Friends of the Animals locate a missing poodle called Winnie following an 11-day search.
All of the group's equipment is either personally owned or funded through donations.
It said support from Friends of the Animals would make "a real difference", helping save lives and bring more animals home safely.
