Redditch drone user helps rescue puppy missing for five days

Six-month-old cocker spaniel Bow got lost during a walk with her owner Jodie Dance.

Jodie hunted for her beloved pooch for hours on February 19 but was forced to abandon the search when it got dark.

The next day she put an appeal on Facebook for people to look out for Bow near where she went missing in Burton Dassett Country Park in Warwickshire.

Redditch-based drone operator John Watton was called in to help with the search. The 47-year-old used thermal imaging cameras to spot Bow trapped inside a thicket.

John, from Drone SAR (search and rescue) For Lost Dogs UK, said: “The thermal drone is really good for areas that are really hard to search in.

“A jogger heard barking but couldn’t see the dog so we were called in and I took the drone over to his location.

“Within a few minutes I picked up a heat signature.

“It was literally about 6ft in brambles so all I got was a heat signature of a sort of spaniel, fox-type size.

“One I picked that up the team went into this area, secured any exits and then they went in and grabbed Bow.”

John Watton (Image: John Watton)

Footage from Sunday's rescue shows Jodie and her friends hacking down the thick brambles with hedge trimmers before hauling Bow to safety.

John added: “It’s probably about a mile from where she went missing from.

“Just the reaction from the owner was unbelievable. She was completely in tears.

“To be honest I was nearly blubbering.”

Relieved owner Jodie, 37, from Banbury, had taken Bow and her sister Bella for a walk in the countryside when they both ran away.

Jodie with Bow (Image: SWNS)

She said: "They are only pups but they love running so I took them to Burton Dassett and let them off the lead.

"They were having a fabulous time on the hills but then both disappeared from view and then only Bella came back.

"I had no idea where Bow was but had to stop looking when it went dark so I contacted Drone SAR who were just brilliant.

"Despite Bow being out in the cold for five days she's made a full recovery. It's a miracle she was found and it wouldn't have happened without the thermal drone."