Veteran Inspired Drone Company Finds Lost Dog in Frigid Cold in Just 41 Minutes–Leading to ‘Cinematic’ Reunion
More than twenty-four hours had already passed with frigid temperatures outside.
Gina Manfredi’s five-month-old puppy was lost. The American Bully mix named Shade was headed out for a walk with Gina when a sound startled the pooch and he took off into the cold New Jersey night.
Neighbors went looking for Shade but no one had any luck.
“It started getting really dark. It was cold, the winds started picking up, and it began lightly snowing,”.
She placed clothes and other items outside the house that smelled like home, hoping to lure the puppy back. A friend put Gina in touch with Bailey’s Bridge, a local service that specializes in locating lost pets—but nothing worked.
More hours passed and Gina knew something drastic had to be done. Bridge to Home recommended the USAR Drone Team, a veteran-based nonprofit that provides a variety of services, including pet rescues.
To help find Shade, USAR arrived at Gina’s home at about 7:15 pm, after the dog had been missing for more than 24 hours. He launched a drone equipped with a thermal camera which makes it adept at locating animals at night.
“We saw a lot of different animals for about 20 minutes because we’re near woods,” Gina said.
Then, another image appeared that seemed to resemble Shade’s profile. It was him.
Miraculously, Shade was only two blocks from home—and when a family member headed to the location and called for him, the dog came running.
USAR had found Shade in just 41 minutes.
Moments later, the lost dog was headed home, and Michael called the reunion ‘cinematic’.
“It’s a beautiful reminder of the incredible kindness that exists in the world…In a world that can sometimes feel uncertain, this experience has been a powerful reminder that there is far more good than bad.”