How drones are revolutionizing the search for lost pets

On a freeway in Southern California’s Orange County, the chase is on.

But authorities aren’t tracking a suspect. They’re trying to save a lost dog. A small terrier, to be exact.

A drone overhead spots him in the carpool lane and guides in ground units. The entire rescue took just minutes.

“This time we were able to just put the drone up and coordinate via the radio and just say, this is where it’s at,” Kyle Werner, an animal control officer for the city of Mission Viejo, told CBS News.

Werner said lost pet searches used to take days or weeks.

“We went from a very passive search, just waiting for something to happen, to actively searching,” Werner said.

The drone uses lasers and thermal imaging to pinpoint animal heat signatures over large areas.

The technology was critical in a recent search for a dog named Lana, according to JR Stewart, a senior animal control officer with Mission Viejo Animal Services.

“I was going through the heavy brush. The brush is above my head,” Stewart said. “There’s no way I would’ve ever seen the dog with the naked eye.”

But the drone was able to detect the dog in the brush and guide Stewart in.

Animal control officers also used the drone last year to track down a skittish dog named Josie, and they were able to tell her owner exactly where to find her.

“She [the owner] sat down and was just really calm and allowed the dog to approach her,” Werner said. “And you’ll see, it was really a touching moment when you see that tail wagging.”

The drone cost almost $17,000, paid for with private donations.

Werner said he’s already hearing from other agencies interested in the technology. Asked if he thinks the drone is worth the money, he responded, “100%.”

“We’re reuniting someone’s family member with them, and that’s completely invaluable.”