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Pet detective uses drone to track down missing show dog
A champion show dog named Ryder had been missing for a week... until a drone-flying pet detective from Chester County took on the case.
PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. - A champion show dog named Ryder is back home after a weeklong disappearance, thanks to some high-flying technology.
Ryder's escape and search efforts
What we know:
Ryder, a 2-and-a-half-year-old Norwich Terrier, vanished from the backyard of a house in Landenberg, Chester County on Dec. 1. The dog was staying there at his handlers home before a recent dog show at the Oaks Expo Center. Missing dog flyers were posted, and family and friends searched tirelessly around the neighborhood where he was last seen.
6 days later Sharon Jones, Ryder's co-owner decided to enlist the help of a Phoenixville drone pilot Rick Rotondo to aid in the search. Rotondo, a first responder with Friendship Fire Company also runs his own business using his high-tech thermal drone with spotlights to search for missing pets. He charges pet owners a few hundred dollars to travel and search for pets using his equipment and expertise. He says he has found around 20 dogs in about 70 drone searches.
After spending about 2 hours searching the area he spotted Ryder on camera.
The drone discovery
What they're saying:
"I realized I thought it was a cat for a brief second and then I immediately I saw him turn his head and said "That is him!," said Rotondo.
With just 10 minutes left on the drone's battery, Rotondo spotted Ryder in a bamboo field about 3 minutes from where he was last seen. Sharon Jones recalled the moment she saw Ryder, saying, "I looked down and there was Ryder standing there looking at me like saying "I’m here, I’m ready to go home."
Ryder's return home
Ryder is now safely back in West Virginia, recuperating from his adventure. His co-owner Cathy Jennings expressed her gratitude, saying, "I could not imagine what this Christmas would be without Ryder so we are very thankful." Jennings says Ryder will be back on the dog show circuit next month.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear exactly how Ryder managed to escape from the handler's home or what spooked him initially.