When Ernie a beloved pet poodle went missing at 8pm on 27th June, locals went into overdrive to help find him.
Owner Karen was frantically trying to track him down. Ernie is a young nervous dog who is frightened of strangers, so he was going to prove tricky to find.
Searching for most of the night, Karen contacted a local Drone operator based in Woodborough for help. Phil James who offers a free drone service for lost pets in Nottingham, arrived in the area along with a group of his volunteers to help search throughout the night using Thermal imaging.
A full night passed, and Ernie wasn’t to be found. The next morning Phil James was back with his drone and locals were once again searching the streets.
A Facebook post on the True Bingham page announced a sighting 1 mile away from where Ernie was lost.
Local News Designer Mark from Bingham was thankfully in the area and spotted the frightened poodle on the way to the office. Himself along with 2 other ladies, Claire and Kath, followed the dog carefully and calmly to avoid scaring him. Tracking him into a local person’s garden, Ernie was found hiding in a bush. Cornered by the three volunteers, Ernie was scooped up and caught by Kath, he was found, safe and sound at 9am on the 28th June.
Wrapped in a blanket, Ernie was then taken to be reunited with his owner. Karen was absolutely overjoyed to have her poodle back in her arms.
Speaking to Mark, owner Karen said, “Thank you so much for helping to catch him yesterday, really appreciate it.
“Ernie is very tired and paws are very sore but I’m taking him to the vets later to get them to give him the once over. We were so grateful for the people of Bingham and the surrounding area who came out and helped us look for him, especially Phil James and his drone. A proper community effort, which is heart-warming to have. Thank you again.”
For details on Phil James Drone Services, you can find him on Facebook.