The overnight recovery illustrated an expanding role for unmanned aerial systems in pet search and rescue — and marked the 123rd successful dog recovery for the New Jersey-based Unmanned Search and Rescue team, which deploys thermal-imaging drones alongside ground volunteers as part of its core mission.
Abbie, a 9-year-old golden retriever mix being transported from a South Carolina shelter to a planned new home in Maine, escaped from a New Jersey Turnpike service area early Saturday and wandered roughly 25 miles before a volunteer drone team using thermal imaging located her in a wooded area overnight, according to Final Victory Animal Rescue and Woodbridge Township police. Officers rescued the dog around 2 a.m. Sunday, about 15 miles from where she had bolted during a bathroom break.
The New Jersey-based Unmanned Search and Rescue (USAR) drone team, which assists with pet recoveries as part of its mission, deployed thermal imaging from an unmanned aerial vehicle to pinpoint Abbie’s location after ground searches alone proved insufficient. Abbie had also been fitted with a tracking tag that provided a general position, helping narrow the search zone before the drone confirmed her location in a wooded area.
Abbie was cold and very fearful when Woodbridge Township police officers reached her, and she was later found to have suffered a hip injury that will require surgery, police and rescuers said.
Dog had traveled some 25 miles from escape point
The dogs’ handlers were letting them take a bathroom break at the East Brunswick service area around 6 a.m. Saturday when Abbie ran off, according to Final Victory Animal Rescue. The recovery effort unfolded over the next roughly 20 hours, combining ground volunteers with aerial support. When officers located her, Abbie was in a wooded area about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the escape point — her total wandering distance, as rescuers tracked it, was about 25 miles (40 kilometers).
“With boots on the ground and eyes in the sky, Abbie was located and recovered safely,” Final Victory Animal Rescue said in a social media post. “A huge thank you to every agency involved for showing up when it mattered most.”
123rd rescue for the drone team
The recovery was the USAR team’s 123rd dog rescue, the team said. The New Jersey-based organization incorporates unmanned aerial systems with thermal-imaging sensors into pet search and rescue work, providing a capacity that ground searchers cannot replicate in dense or dark terrain.
Abbie to be adopted by her foster family
In a social media post late Monday, Final Victory Animal Rescue said the planned adoption placement in Maine had been set aside. Abbie is back in South Carolina and will be adopted by the Columbia family that had been fostering her before the transport, the shelter said.