NEW YORK (WABC) reported that a man with a drone is catching the attention of our “Be Kind” campaign, after he used that technology to make a very special discovery — finding a missing golden retriever named, “Meadow” in upstate New York. A 28-year-old hiking guide who lives in Cairo, New York, Brian James, happened to see an online flyer for a white puppy, by the name of Meadow who had been lost in the woods in a very large area. James immediately knew it was going to be tough to find the 1-year-old puppy. Timing was of great concern since the puppy had already been lost for 10 days.
James felt moved to join the community effort to find the white puppy. “I’m realizing that [it] might be easy to see her from the air if we find her before snow [falls],” said James. He traveled a few miles to Andes, New York, where he used the drone to canvass the trees around where Meadow was last spotted.
He searched from the sky, using his drone until he found a patch of white, among the trees. “I was able to get a visual on Meadow from the air,” he said. Then he ran towards that spot, and when he saw her, he called her to come — and, fortunately, she came running to him.
Meadow, was fortunately, not injured. She was reunited with her family soon afterwards. The owners, Gary and Debbie Morgan, were understandably thrilled to see their puppy, Meadow, come back home. “[We’re] just so grateful for Brian for showing up when he did and being able to rescue her,” said Debbie Morgan. They told ABC News they were “overjoyed, and when they saw the video from the drone, they were overcome with gratitude.”
James told “World News Tonight” that anybody could do the same.
“Everybody’s got the capability to help,” he said. “You never know what will come of it.”
This is a very encouraging story of how a 1 year-old puppy, who was in grave danger was found because of the community, the internet, and Brian James. It was the community that did not give up its effort to find Meadow for 10 long days, and it was the internet that caught James’ attention that a white puppy was missing in the woods for 10 days, and it was Brian James, a stranger, who used his skill as a drone pilot to ultimately find Meadow.
As Brian James put it, “Everybody’s got the capability to help. You never know what will come of it.”
Future
Had Brian James not had a drone with the ability to scan long-distance in such a short, efficient time, this story could have ended so differently for this puppy, which is too common for too many lost puppies/dogs, cats, etc. The elements such as cold weather or other animals could have easily led to this little puppy’s demise, had this wise and compassionate young man not thought to use his drone in this instance to help.
If there were more people with drones, how many more puppies and other family pets could be saved!
Yet another example of how past successes can inform an even more successful future!