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We were recently contacted to help search for Riley, an older Chow mix who went missing in the Cresson, Texas area. It had been less than 24 hours since Riley went missing when we were contacted with the search request, and fortunately, we were able to respond immediately. So, like always, we packed up our gear and hit the road shortly after sunset to start searching.

Background

As mentioned, Riley is an older Chow mix. Her owners filled us in on her current condition, stating that she had arthritis and had trouble moving around quickly. This information was a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it meant Riley likely wasn’t able to make it that far from the owners’ home. On the other hand, it meant that she might have issues fending off coyotes or other predators.

Riley’s owners live in a developing rural neighborhood. Hundreds of acres of vegetation and pastureland surround the neighborhood. When we initially spoke with the owners upon arrival, they told us that Riley went westbound. So, we started our search toward that general area. We put up our DJI M3T equipped with a bright search light and got to work.

We spent the next two to three hours searching approximately 2,000 acres with no luck. We saw plenty of wildlife, but no Riley. We ultimately decided to terminate the search for the time being. The owners told us that a scent tracking dog was scheduled to help search the following morning.

When Riley went missing, she had an AirTag on her collar, and it gave (what we later found out to be erroneous) a ping several miles southeast of the property. The scent tracking dog team started the search in that general area, but they were also unsuccessful.

The owners reached back out to us to ask if we could come out again that next night and search again. They said they were considering soliciting the help of several thermal drone operators to maximize efficiency and the total search area. So, we reached out to our local thermal drone pilot network and found someone to help join the cause.

During the second night of our search, we decided to focus our efforts on the area to the south of the property. Not long into the search, we came across a heat signature that looked like it could be Riley, but even with the bright search light, the thick tree branches made it difficult to positively identify exactly what it was. We decided to drop a pin on the general location for reference later but continue searching the surrounding area.

Fast forward a couple of battery swaps between the two drones, the other drone operator got a positive ID on Riley a short ways away from the previous area of interested from earlier!

The owners split up to take separate routes to make sure they could get to her. In about 15 minutes, they got to her while we kept the drones in the air to monitor the area.

Thankfully, Riley was in relatively good shape. Aside from some stickers and skunk smell residue, she was happy and healthy!

Read more about our lost pet search and recovery service.