Dramatic doggo rescue operation carried out by pupper pawrent and drone pilot successfully reunites lost dog with family 3 days after her Xmas Eve escape: ‘Using thermal drone technology, they found Daisy in an area impossible to cover on foot.’

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

Sep 15, 2026 9:00 AM EDT

One of the hardest times to have a pet go missing has to be during the holidays. Not only is it a sensitive and special time of year, but also, all the services and people who might be around to help you on any other given day are not available. Which is exactly what happened to this fur family when their pitbull pulled a fast one and disappeared on the eve of Christmas Eve.

It took a further 3 days until the rescue that we are sharing with you took place. Days which must have been harrowing for this family. Can you imagine having to try and put a smile on your face through Xmas when you know that your dog is out there in the cold all alone, probably terrified. Heck, it is not even just you alone going through this, your family are all feeling that loss too. It must have been a very grim few days for this family. But in the world of missing doggos the key is to never give up hope of being reunited.

And with that hope still in their hearts and the arrival of a drone pilot on the 3rd day, this family were finally able to reconnect with their lost doggo. It turns out she had ended up hiding in a field of downed trees. A place that was barely accessible on foot and far too large to cover with only one's two legs. Making the drone a critical part of the operation, not only for its freedom of movement over the field but also its heat vision which allowed the pilot to differentiate between the fallen trees and the fear-filled pup. So just remember, you never quite know who your doggo's hero might be, but whoever they are they will always be a hero.

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Goodness this looks like some seriously tough terrain.

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Yeah, we’d say it looks blocked off, all the trees are on the ground!

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That’s why we have a drone in the air.

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Holy moly, they found her!

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Holy moly, they found her!

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This area had experienced a logging not too long ago and is in a terrible state.

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Who knows if she could have even been spotted from the ground?

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Thanks to this drone’s heat vision the team were able to see through the thick layer of downed trees and spot Daisy!

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With some careful instruction over the phone our drone pilot guided Daisy’s pawrent through the fallen trees to rescue her.

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How cool is it to see a rescue happen through heat vision?!

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Almost there now!

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One of those tiny black dots is Daisy!

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Wow she is deep in those trees. We hope that the sound of her food finally got her to step out of hiding.

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Oh, Daisy is on the move people!

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And she is doing well, uninjured and delighted to see her pawrents.

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Here it is the moment we have been waiting for!

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Finally safe in momma’s arms once more.

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While you cannot see their features, you can still feel the joy of this reunion emanating from this photo.

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While you cannot see their features, you can still feel the joy of this reunion emanating from this photo.

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Talk about a holiday season miracle.

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All’s well, that ends well.

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Watch the full video:

via Drone Animal Rescue