Erica Hart, based in Yorkshire, England, is a self-proclaimed “pet detective” who helps find lost dogs using infrared cameras attached to drones. So far she has found and returned 330 of her pets to her owners.
According to reports S.W.N.S.Hart received his first drone as a gift from his father in 2018, and when he heard that a local dog had gone missing, he took to the skies to see if he could help with the search. She did so, and word spread of her kind act. A few days later, she heard that another dog was missing and started looking for it. She succeeded again.
“Then people told me I found these dogs, so it just snowballed from there and I was getting calls every day,” she says.
Over the past few years, Hart has helped find 330 lost dogs using drones and continues to search for them every day, dedicating his own time to finding them.
“Since we started, we've found 330 dogs. We don't just help people find dogs,” she added. “I've found cats, emus, cows, and helped mountain rescue teams search for missing people. It's in my nature to help.”
Hart says if a dog gets lost in a field, it can usually be found within a day. But her longest rescue mission took 12 days (she says it was a cockapoo). Levels are further complicated by the amount of ground your pet can cover and where your pet can hide. If you get lost and scared, people shouting your name while looking for you can force you into “fight or flight mode” and make it difficult to find you, even with a drone.
“I would do anything for the love of a dog. Imagine not seeing your mother in 10 years and suddenly meeting her. It's just that kind of feeling. When you find a dog, you win the lottery. I feel like I've hit the mark.”
Hart said she also found dogs whose owners didn't want to adopt them. In such cases, she will adopt them herself.
“This is all very personal to me. I'm not a people-pleaser, but I would give a dog any day of the week,” she says.
Hart now uses an enterprise-level DJI drone (a significant improvement over 2018's DJI Phantom), which has both night vision and a thermal camera to better assist him. I would like to upgrade to Autel Evo 4n so I can do that. Find your pet at night.
