Trowbridge drone pilot helps in search for missing dog

Nala's owners had to do a double take when she returned home five days after she went missing

A growing number of drone enthusiasts are using their equipment to help find missing animals.

Peter Milner, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, has volunteered with Drone Search and Rescue for Lost Dogs (DSARLD) for six years.

When Nala the Labrador went missing in Purton, Swindon, Mr Milner stepped in to help her owners.

Mr Milner said: "A dog is a family member - it's no different to a person. We treat them with equal respect."

Jon Cook and Carys Devore turned to Facebook to seek help from local residents after their pet Nala went missing.

Ms Devore said: "I barely came back to eat and sleep.

"I walked miles for hours, day and night, I felt like I couldn't rest because in that time that I'm resting I could've found her."

Mr Milner said "time is of the essence" when searching for missing animals

About 30 people joined the search, including Mr Milner.

He said looking for Nala was a particularly "difficult job" because the team were alerted to different sightings in different places.

Looking for heat signals

DSLARD's work involves using drones equipped with regular and thermal cameras to look for heat on the ground.

Once a heat patch is located, the team on the ground can travel to a location, pinpointed by the drone.

Mr Milner said: "The drone flying and actual search is only really a small proportion of what we actually do.

"A lot of what we do when we get to scene - and you can imagine - owners are desperate and in a real state of panic and shock that their beloved pet has disappeared.

"It's all about calming their nerves", he added.

Ms Devore said: "I hadn't lost hope, I couldn't lose hope.

"But deep down a part of me was saying I'm never going to see her again."

Five days after she went missing, Nala returned home of her own accord severely dehydrated, with bad conjunctivitis and quite a lot of wounds on her body.

Mr Cook thanked everyone involved in the search.

"It was incredible how they seemed to have the same dedication of finding Nala as we had," he said.

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