An incredible rescue effort using drones, tracking and on-the-ground humane traps helped safely locate a dog who had been lost in the wilderness for 17 DAYS and reunite her with her owners.
Mia, a mini golden doodle, went missing on February 12 while on a walk with owners Donna and Jim Davis, from Ringwood, Illinois.
The five-year-old pooch was attached to a retractable leash that was accidentally dropped when she was startled, causing her to bolt and run away, dragging the leash behind her.
With the sun setting, Donna didn’t know where to turn, as Mia had run into Glacial Park, a large conservation area measuring more than 3,000 acres.
Donna and Jim tried their own search with no luck, and over the first few days they had called on the help of local dog rescue experts.
Linda Hartman, of Lost Dogs Illinois, advised the family on major steps and rescue approaches; Mike Smith, of SmithicAir, used drones to help locate Mia and check she was okay; and Michael Smith, of Best Furry Friends – Search And Rescue (BFF), also helped in the locating and monitoring of Mia’s movement patterns.
The aerial drone work took a few days, before rescue efforts were then focused on the ground.
BFF attempted luring, a magnet dog and set up feeding stations, while Donna visited Mia’s location every day, keeping her scent present, and even getting within yards of Mia on a couple of occasions.
But Mia’s body had gone into survival mode, Donna said, at which point domesticated pets may forget about their owners, and it was decided trapping was the best option.
After taking some time to receive approval through community connections, Mia was eventually trapped by Michael and Linda’s agencies on March 1.
A routine was then followed so that Mia slowly eased back into Donna and Jim’s home, with the beloved dog incredibly only losing one pound of weight over her 17-day adventure.
Donna said: “There’d be no way for us to locate her without the drone, so that was very helpful.
“This was definitely an area we never thought about at all – you see lost dogs all the time, but, really, we just took their cues, we took their advice.
“They said, ‘You cannot be running around talking to her; you want to lure her in; you want to keep your back to her; you want to pretend you’re having fun or eating food just so she would come closer and be more curious.
“We would have not caught her if it was not for the help of Linda and the two Mikes.
“They had so much valuable experience and taught us a lot about what we should and shouldn’t do.
“So, this was, for sure, a Team Mia situation, where it took a bunch of people to get her back home.
“She stays with me all the time now, she follows me everywhere, and she doesn’t like to go outside by herself, so I’m always with her – but she’s getting braver.
“We’ve been going back on walks, she loves to go on walks, she wags her tails, and she’s very happy.”
