Artwork for podcast Animal Posse
Thermal Tracking & Heartfelt Homecomings with Joshua Barry
Episode 56 • 20th February 2026 • Animal Posse • Unwanted Feline Organization
00:00:00 00:46:07

Share Episode

Transcripts

Dixie:

Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the

2

:

people and rescues making a

difference in the lives of animals.

3

:

Welcome back everybody.

4

:

Today we're talking about that terrifying

moment that your pet goes missing, and the

5

:

eye in the sky that is bringing them home.

6

:

We're joined by Joshua Barry.

7

:

He is the founder of

Precision Drone Services.

8

:

Joshua: Hey.

9

:

Dixie: Welcome to the show.

10

:

I am interested in learning about

how you use drones to find lost pets.

11

:

'cause I know typically when people see

a drone in the sky, they think people

12

:

are just up there just like getting

a view of everything, taking photos.

13

:

Joshua: Alien invasion, government

spying, intrusion, all that.

14

:

Sure.

15

:

Their minds go wild.

16

:

Dixie: How is it that you became involved

with looking for lost pets and drones?

17

:

Joshua: It wasn't a direct path.

18

:

So my main business, which I've been doing

26 years, is photography and videography.

19

:

And , I do stills and video and a very

small part of that business is drone work.

20

:

But nonetheless, it afforded me

the opportunity to learn how to

21

:

fly drones on that side of things.

22

:

But I'm also, techie.

23

:

I like cool technology and I'm a

hunter and outdoorsy and I've got a

24

:

first responders type of mentality.

25

:

So when I saw these drones that

had thermal technology built into

26

:

them, I knew I wanted to have it.

27

:

I wasn't sure what I was gonna do

with it, but I definitely wanted

28

:

to just have a little piece of

that technology and I started.

29

:

Using that drone commercially for

deer recoveries, are you familiar

30

:

with what deer recoveries are?

31

:

Dixie: I am not.

32

:

Joshua: So you're a hunter and you shoot

a deer and you lose the blood trail.

33

:

Maybe it rains, washes the blood

trail away, or it runs into a thick

34

:

area that you can't quite get to or

further away than you're used to.

35

:

And we.

36

:

Can use these same drones that I use for

pets to help a hunter find their deer.

37

:

That way they don't lose their deer

and they can fill a tag and the

38

:

deer doesn't become coyote food.

39

:

So I started doing that, and then as

I was putting myself out there for

40

:

that type of service, I had somebody

approach me about, Hey, do you think

41

:

you could use this to find a lost pet?

42

:

I let you help me find my deer.

43

:

I happen to lose my dog.

44

:

Can you come out and bring your drone?

45

:

I said, yeah, sure.

46

:

So that's how that started.

47

:

, It really was very accidental transition.

48

:

And right around the same

time, there was a guy who.

49

:

Was the very first person in the

country named Justin Arant to use

50

:

these drones for this application.

51

:

He's like the godfather of

using drones to find lost pets.

52

:

And I met him right around the

same time and he has mentored me on

53

:

how to use, how to do it properly.

54

:

'Cause there's a right way

and a wrong way to do things.

55

:

It's a lot more complicated

than just finding a deer.

56

:

So that sort of developed from

there, I started learning from him.

57

:

I start, because I'm a videographer

and a photographer, I would record my

58

:

rescues and I would make these little

videos and I'd put 'em up on Facebook,

59

:

and that gathered a lot of attention.

60

:

I was the first person probably in a

300 mile radius to do this type of work

61

:

for about a year, easily before anybody

else started doing the lost pet work.

62

:

And then, there's others

that do it too now.

63

:

But yeah, I quickly gained a lot

of attention for it and I've helped

64

:

a lot of people and sometimes I

get more calls than I can handle.

65

:

Dixie: How is it that you did that

first rescue of that dog from the

66

:

hunter that had called you back

and said, Hey, can you help me come

67

:

find my dog to doing it full time?

68

:

Like, when did you say, I'm gonna use

it just solely for this application?

69

:

Joshua: The public kind

of made that decision.

70

:

It wasn't like a conscious decision.

71

:

I wasn't aiming to be as busy as I am.

72

:

Honestly, after my first couple

of 'em, I just thought, okay, I'll

73

:

do it occasionally and my phone

will ring several times a week,

74

:

sometimes several times a day.

75

:

It wasn't really a I decided that

I'll take whatever comes my way.

76

:

I'm not an ambulance chaser, I'm

not chasing people down to let me

77

:

help them, use my drone because

again, we charge for this stuff.

78

:

So I think it's a little

unprofessional, so to speak, to be.

79

:

Ambulance chasing type of service,

but people call me left and right

80

:

message me on Facebook and people

tag me all the time in posts.

81

:

So it was a very organic.

82

:

Arrival at how busy I am.

83

:

It wasn't like an aim of mine or I

certainly accept what's come my way

84

:

and I'm grateful and I'm happy to

be involved with helping so many pet

85

:

owners get re reunited with their pets.

86

:

But it, it wasn't like on

my radar to aim for that.

87

:

Target, it was just, Hey, here's another

thing that I could do to help people.

88

:

And I had no idea how many people would

be interested or how many pets went

89

:

missing, again, to bring up my mentor,

Justin , he did a deep dive once and.

90

:

He looked up how many lost pets go

missing every year in the United

91

:

States, and it's 10 million.

92

:

And , I only learned that maybe

like a year ago or six months

93

:

ago, something like that.

94

:

When he told me, I had no idea.

95

:

You don't know how many pets go

missed until you join some of

96

:

these lost pet groups on Facebook.

97

:

And it's every day, every county,

every day there's pets that go misses.

98

:

Dixie: Yeah, I'm passionate about

the lost pets 'cause I do run

99

:

two lost pets group in my area.

100

:

We don't have a lot of

the drones in our area.

101

:

Now, we are in the city, so I don't know

if you do this more in the city or if

102

:

you do it more like a rural type area.

103

:

But I, I don't see anybody in

our area using the drones yet.

104

:

Joshua: What state are you in?

105

:

Dixie: I'm in Louisiana,

in the New Orleans area.

106

:

Joshua: Okay.

107

:

Yeah, there's more and more every day.

108

:

There's actually like a phone book

that has developed where, say I get

109

:

calls from places that I don't go.

110

:

People call me from Georgia and

Minneapolis, Minnesota and Indiana,

111

:

and we have this little phone book we

can pull up that's on the internet and

112

:

we can say I'm in Maryland, but this

guy's about an hour away from you.

113

:

Why don't you give him a call?

114

:

So I could probably look it

up and see if there are any

115

:

actually in Louisiana doing it.

116

:

Dixie: Do you do it more in a rural area

or do you do it in the cities as well?

117

:

Joshua: I do operate in the

cities too if people call me.

118

:

But I would say two thirds to three

quarters, probably close to three

119

:

quarters of mine are in either suburban

neighborhoods or rural neighborhoods.

120

:

Dixie: In the suburban type areas,

are there like certain permits

121

:

or rules that you have to follow

with having your drones there?

122

:

Joshua: No, the only rules that we

have to follow are the FAA rules

123

:

where there's certain airspace

that are restricted or controlled.

124

:

And if we're in controlled

airspace, we have to make sure

125

:

we get permission from the FAA.

126

:

If it's restricted airspace, we have

to apply for a waiver, but a lot of

127

:

times, especially near DC they're not

gonna grant a waiver to fly your drone

128

:

in what's called the DC freeze, which

is a 15 mile ring around DC where no

129

:

drones are allowed to fly unless you

have a specific waiver, and then it's

130

:

very complicated to fly in that ring.

131

:

And , I've never really heard of them

granting permission for somebody to

132

:

fly a drone to look for a missing dog.

133

:

There, there's a lot of

logistics and security involved.

134

:

You have to hire a private

police officer to chaperone you.

135

:

It's incredibly complicated,

but for the most part, no, we

136

:

don't need special permission.

137

:

You just have to have your, because

we're flying for commercial reasons,

138

:

what's called our part 1 0 7 license.

139

:

So we have to go through studying

and testing to become licensed,

140

:

to do this to fly commercially.

141

:

But that's not a specific

search and rescue license.

142

:

It's a general commercial drone pilot

143

:

Dixie: license.

144

:

Compared to, the other type of drone

work that you did in the past, do

145

:

you find there's like more pressure

with this because you're like almost

146

:

looking for a lost family member?

147

:

Joshua: Exactly.

148

:

Yeah.

149

:

Yeah, I played detective too.

150

:

I ask a lot of questions.

151

:

I ask about where the sightings

are because , this is a family

152

:

member as a living being that

they love and care about.

153

:

You want to give it as much care as if

somebody was missing their child, right?

154

:

They got out of the house and it's

walking around the cornfield somewhere.

155

:

So I ask a lot of

questions in the beginning.

156

:

I ask about the dog and the size of the

breed and if there's disabilities and the

157

:

age, and has there been any sightings?

158

:

We're playing detective.

159

:

We're really trying to play

detective here and figure out , what

160

:

direction the dog might have went.

161

:

Might what?

162

:

Area it might be in.

163

:

And even if this is the right time

for a drone to go up in the air,

164

:

there's plenty of cases where, you have

multiple sightings, but each sighting

165

:

is a two miles away from the last one.

166

:

And when a dog's moving that

fast, it really doesn't make

167

:

sense to put a drone up because

by the time you get to that area.

168

:

The dog's gonna be outside of it.

169

:

So we're really measuring everything

and treating it very carefully

170

:

before we come out and fly.

171

:

Dixie: Typically when an

animal goes missing, people

172

:

will usually start, step one.

173

:

They'll go do either old school

flyers, they'll go post on social

174

:

media, they'll go walking the

neighborhood, calling for their dog.

175

:

At what point do they.

176

:

Call you to get you involved?

177

:

Joshua: That's a good question.

178

:

It varies.

179

:

Some people are aware of our

tech and our service, so they'll

180

:

call us sooner than later.

181

:

There's plenty of people that call

us a day or two later and they're

182

:

like, I wish I had known about you

the day my dog went missing, or

183

:

I would've called you right away.

184

:

There's other people that.

185

:

Rely on traditional methods like flyers,

which in my opinion, flyers are the

186

:

best tool above dogs, above drones.

187

:

When you can raise public awareness.

188

:

And especially if like you've gone a

full day and your dog hasn't returned.

189

:

Flyers are the best tool because

people can drive around from out of

190

:

town and all the time and come through

your area and they'll see your dog.

191

:

But it's rare that they're gonna run

to Facebook and report a sighting.

192

:

But if they saw a sign on a

lamppost, they're like, oh, that

193

:

looks like the white dog from

that picture on the lamppost.

194

:

And then they'll go to

the sign and call you.

195

:

So I think that signs on

lampposts are the best tool.

196

:

So

197

:

Dixie: Let's talk about,

how the drones work.

198

:

Yeah.

199

:

So you have thermal on the drone, and

then how far, how high up do you go?

200

:

Joshua: So attached to the drones

payload, meaning like the camera system,

201

:

there's several different lenses there.

202

:

You've got the thermal camera, then

you've got a wide angle camera,

203

:

you've got a zoom camera, excuse me,

and then you've got a range finder.

204

:

The thermal camera is what's looking

for the heat signatures, and then

205

:

assuming we're flying at night.

206

:

When I see a heat signature that I would

like to try to identify with the push

207

:

of a button, we can zoom in, turn on

the spotlight, and we can see exactly

208

:

what it is in full color as bright as

day, a lot of times, or bright enough

209

:

where we can make an identification.

210

:

We can see is it a deer, is it a

dog, is it a cat, is it a coyote?

211

:

Is it a fox?

212

:

Is it a squirrel?

213

:

Is it a raccoon?

214

:

We can see exactly what it's, and then

with the range finder, assuming we

215

:

find the pet, we can mark that location

on the map with the range finder.

216

:

And that pin that I drop on my remote

control has GPS coordinates attached

217

:

to it, and we can transfer those GPS

coordinates into the lost pet parents.

218

:

Google Maps within, less than a minute.

219

:

You just scan the QR code on my screen

and that location will pop right up.

220

:

As far as how high we fly, that

depends on let's say the distance away

221

:

I am from the remote control, right?

222

:

How, or how far the drone is away from me.

223

:

Ideally I like to start like 175

feet up, and the further away I get.

224

:

The more the signal will deteriorate.

225

:

So I have to raise the drone

up a little bit higher.

226

:

But ideally it's good to stay

as low as you safely can because

227

:

the closer the sensor is to the

ground, the more effective it is.

228

:

But in all seriousness, in all

honesty, there's plenty of times

229

:

where the conditions are so good.

230

:

You're 400 feet, 350, 400 feet in the air.

231

:

And you can still see a bunny

rabbit right on the ground

232

:

easy with the thermal camera.

233

:

So I hope that answers your question.

234

:

Dixie: Yeah, that's what I was

gonna actually ask you what the

235

:

range of the thermal camera is.

236

:

'cause I know like with a regular

thermal camera, if you go take that

237

:

out and you look at it, it's very

limited range of where you're looking.

238

:

So you have to be close to

basically what you're looking for.

239

:

Yeah.

240

:

Joshua: Yeah, distance will affect that.

241

:

But again, when you're flying in

some really good thermal conditions,

242

:

like at night the thermal camera

is very sensitive on these drones.

243

:

And you could see a bunny rabbit

pretty clearly, you'll see a little

244

:

red dot and you zoom in, turn on

your spotlight and you can see

245

:

the bunny rabbit sitting there.

246

:

Dixie: When you do the spotlight,

do you have to go down to put the

247

:

spotlight or can you do the spotlight,

I guess from high up as well?

248

:

Joshua: You can do it from high up, but

I would say to get a real good picture.

249

:

To really make a good identification, you

wanna be no more than 250 feet away from

250

:

the object you're trying to light up.

251

:

It is better to be closer to that

object once you get past two 50.

252

:

With the inverse square law,

whatever the light starts to die

253

:

off and it doesn't light it up.

254

:

I've been further away and made

identifications, but it really

255

:

depends on factors like what type of.

256

:

Terrain, the animals in how much cover

it's in, what color the animal is.

257

:

Like we're, if we're looking for a

white dog, it's gonna, it's gonna

258

:

light up from that light even from

350 feet away, because it reflects

259

:

light instead of absorbing it.

260

:

But if we're looking for a black dog,

yeah, we gotta be close, it's good

261

:

to be two, 200 200, 250 feet away.

262

:

Dixie: And what about if you have

a a good tree canopy or tree cover?

263

:

Joshua: Yeah, so you can, and I have

found animals during the times where

264

:

everything has leaves on the trees, right?

265

:

During the spring and summer

when all the leaves grow back.

266

:

I've certainly had success.

267

:

It is definitely harder to do.

268

:

You have to fly a little differently,

a little slower, a little tighter,

269

:

and then there's always a risk that

you're gonna miss an animal because

270

:

it's under too many layers of canopy.

271

:

Usually you can find a window down

to the ground and if you look at

272

:

the same spot from different angles,

you can see what's down there.

273

:

But it's definitely harder to

do and it's also easier to miss

274

:

something that's down there.

275

:

So you gotta, when we do these spring and

summertime missions, we give all those

276

:

disclaimers to the to the lost pet parents

say, Hey, listen, if he's in the woods.

277

:

I've had success in the woods, but just

so you know, it is possible that we could

278

:

fly over top of them and miss them if

they happen to be under too many layers.

279

:

I did a recovery once, a rescue

once in Hawaii, and that was just.

280

:

You're talking like rainforest

level of canopy versus what

281

:

we get here in the northeast.

282

:

But still, nonetheless,

it, you gotta be careful.

283

:

You gotta fly slower, tighter.

284

:

You gotta look at the same spot

for multiple angles to be sure.

285

:

And even then it's not guaranteed.

286

:

When, like this time of year when I'm

flying in the woods, like I am 99.

287

:

Percent sure that if I flew those

woods, that animal's not in there.

288

:

The exception would be if there's

like a down, like three down trees

289

:

laying next to each other and that dog

happens to be underneath those trees.

290

:

But even then, I could sometimes spot it

because if you look at it from an angle,

291

:

you can see underneath those trees.

292

:

But, this time of year, it's a

lot easier to do for sure, if

293

:

you're looking in the woods.

294

:

Dixie: If you're in a suburban

area, how is everything affected

295

:

by buildings and stuff like that?

296

:

Joshua: You mean in terms of

the ability to search properly

297

:

or how do you mean that?

298

:

Dixie: I guess if you're searching

in an area that's suburban, you

299

:

have a lot of houses, , I would

imagine that you're gonna get like

300

:

a lot of like background noise.

301

:

From all the heat coming off

of homes and stuff like that.

302

:

And I guess just, you'd be looking at a

lot more animals in a suburban area Yeah.

303

:

That are gonna Yeah.

304

:

Put off those heat signatures

that look like, if you're looking

305

:

for a dog, you're gonna see

306

:

Joshua: Yeah.

307

:

Dixie: Quite a few dogs.

308

:

Joshua: Yeah, you're

gonna see a lot of dogs.

309

:

You're gonna see a lot of ventilation

units, a lot of central air units

310

:

that look like a dog that's nestled up

against the side of somebody's house.

311

:

But you and electrical infrastructure,

you learn through experience though how to

312

:

not waste your time to look at something.

313

:

And you learn what the heat signature

of a central air unit looks like, or

314

:

a transformer on a pole looks like,

or a electrical junction box that,

315

:

those green boxes that sit in people's

yards near the street, like you

316

:

learn to skip over them because they

become easy to identify when you're.

317

:

You just start out flying, you end up

looking at everything and you learn

318

:

pretty quickly, Hey, I could skip that.

319

:

I know that's a transformer, I know

that's essential air unit 'cause I can

320

:

see the fan blades moving or because

it'll make the red heat signature flash.

321

:

And that's an indication that, that's the.

322

:

The central air unit and the fans

are spinning, stuff like that.

323

:

Other complications.

324

:

If a dog runs under somebody's deck or a

cat runs under a deck, I'm not gonna see

325

:

it 'cause it doesn't have x-ray vision.

326

:

I was on a search once for a

cat and we found the cat and

327

:

we ended up getting it back.

328

:

But in the middle of the story,

I'm tracking the cat as the owner

329

:

is moving towards the, their

cat's location and I watch it.

330

:

Go under a deck.

331

:

Now, once it was under the deck,

I couldn't see it anymore, but

332

:

I at least knew where it was.

333

:

So the owner came over to the deck and

coaxed her cat out from underneath the

334

:

deck, and she was able to bring it home.

335

:

But once it goes underneath something,

the thermal signature, disappears.

336

:

You're not gonna see it if it

goes into a shed under a shed.

337

:

There's plenty of times when I'm flying.

338

:

I'll watch Cat or Fox crawl in and out

from underneath people's sheds, right?

339

:

They don't even go in 'em,

they go underneath them.

340

:

And, these aren't my targets that

I'm looking for, but it's just

341

:

puts an asterisk on the point of

once something goes underneath

342

:

something you're not gonna see it

anymore, so you'll fly right over it.

343

:

Dixie: How does it workwhen an owner calls

you and you take the assignment, do they

344

:

go out with you to the area in case you do

345

:

Joshua: yeah, I, so I encourage

that they stay with me while I'm

346

:

searching because you never know

what the situation's gonna be.

347

:

And I advise them that we could

find ourselves in a situation where

348

:

we have to act quickly, and if

I have to call them and wait for

349

:

them to arrive, our opportunity.

350

:

To rescue their lost pet May our

window may cease, meaning let's say the

351

:

dog's on their feet and they're moving

rapidly and they move so fast that now

352

:

they're out of the range of my drone.

353

:

So it's better to have the owner

there with me while I'm searching.

354

:

That way we can move in as quickly

and as intelligently as possible to

355

:

get that, pet back with their owner.

356

:

Dixie: When the owner calls you,

are there any circumstances when you

357

:

might , tell the owner like, look,

this isn't a really good scenario.

358

:

I know like you said earlier, if

you have a dog and it, you just have

359

:

sightings of the dog running but

not going into a particular spot.

360

:

So are there times when you would

turn down a job and say, look,

361

:

I don't think it's gonna work.

362

:

Joshua: There's a couple scenarios and

I always give them the most amount of

363

:

information in my opinion, and I always

leave it up to them, and sometimes they

364

:

still want me to fly anyway, but I'll

give them the recommendation to wait.

365

:

Here's two examples.

366

:

Let's say somebody calls me and said,

Hey, my dog got out February 1st.

367

:

What's today's date?

368

:

It's February 9th.

369

:

And we haven't had a single

sighting yet, and it's been,

370

:

now we're talking nine days.

371

:

And I'll say to them something along the

lines of it, because when I fly my drone,

372

:

, as far as the signal range of the drone, I

can really only fly about a half to three

373

:

quarters of a mile in every direction.

374

:

If the dog's in that area and there's some

piece of it facing the sky, I'll see it.

375

:

But the likelihood of a dog after nine

days being in that radius and no sighting.

376

:

And it depends on the terrain too.

377

:

Especially like a a suburban

neighborhood type of situation

378

:

that's that's a pretty long time.

379

:

I'd say to 'em, Hey, listen, you

might wanna wait for sighting.

380

:

Have you put signs up yet?

381

:

I'll ask 'em those questions.

382

:

Are you working with anybody else?

383

:

And try to generate a sighting.

384

:

Sometimes they help me out anyway.

385

:

They say, listen, I

hear what you're saying.

386

:

I really want you to just check anyway.

387

:

So that way we know for sure.

388

:

And I say fine.

389

:

Another situation was there's

a dog named Diesel in my next

390

:

county over in Cecil County.

391

:

And it was lost for two

months before it was rescued.

392

:

I was contacted about diesel, about a

month in, and every sighting that popped

393

:

up for diesel was several miles away.

394

:

The last sighting a month ago

of diesel before he was rescued

395

:

was 12 miles away from home.

396

:

And I gave them the same kind of rundown.

397

:

I said, he's moving so fast that.

398

:

I could come out there and he has already

traveled outside the range of my drone.

399

:

And if we can get some more sightings

and we see a pattern developing where

400

:

he's starting to relax and the sightings

are starting to cluster, that's a

401

:

really good scenario for a drone there.

402

:

And, ultimately they

elected not to have me out.

403

:

They took my advice and.

404

:

It's a good thing too.

405

:

I think that if I had come out to fly,

I wouldn't have found it because it was

406

:

about a half a mile away, just about a

week ago where he was finally spotted.

407

:

He was spotted by a farmer.

408

:

The pet owner came out to that location.

409

:

It was about a half a mile away

from the most recent sighting.

410

:

That was a month ago.

411

:

And they found that he was

sleeping in the hay barn.

412

:

He had this little hole that he had

for himself and, sleeping in there.

413

:

And so had I come out to fly, I wouldn't

have seen him anyway if he was in that

414

:

barn because again, can't see through.

415

:

He doesn't have x-ray vision.

416

:

There's a case where they they took my

advice and it was the right decision

417

:

'cause I wouldn't have found him.

418

:

And, he was rescued because

again, flyers were, in public

419

:

awareness was the magic here.

420

:

'cause that farmer who saw the

dog either saw a flyer in the area

421

:

or knew about the Facebook post.

422

:

'cause he was famous because he had

been missing so long and he called

423

:

the owner right away and they came out

and within the day they had 'em back.

424

:

Yep, that's how that works.

425

:

Dixie: What would you

say your success rate is?

426

:

Joshua: So I take a range of cases,

so you gotta break it up because

427

:

, in search and rescue, there's

things called negative searches.

428

:

Where you fly to confirm that the

dog's probably not in the area.

429

:

So I take a lot of cases where

there the owner is convinced.

430

:

Let's say for example, the owner

is convinced that they're in

431

:

this section of woods and they

can't get it out of their head.

432

:

And they haven't done much other than post

on Facebook and walk through those woods.

433

:

They're not putting flyers up and I come

in and break the chains on their mind

434

:

about their dog being in these woods.

435

:

It's very rare that there

actually are in those woods.

436

:

So I do a lot of those negative searches

and almost indirectly it does lead

437

:

to the rescue of their dog because

now they're doing the right things.

438

:

To get their dog back, put

flyers up outside of the area

439

:

that they're really honed in on.

440

:

I would say of the times where I

come out, where I feel, and I've

441

:

explained to the owner that the dog

is probably not in the area, I'd

442

:

say 90% of them I'm correct on 90%.

443

:

And that's 90% I come out

and don't find it, but.

444

:

The going into it, I feel

that I'm not gonna find it.

445

:

And I've communicated that to the owner.

446

:

When I fly cases that have a

high likelihood of success,

447

:

they are between 50 and 60%.

448

:

These are cases where

there's a recent sighting.

449

:

And the or there's a cluster of sightings

that shows a really clear pattern.

450

:

I would say of the 40 to 50% that

I don't find, I would say a hundred

451

:

not, I would say so far, 'cause I

don't track everything to the T but

452

:

I do follow ups with my clients.

453

:

So of the 40 to 50% that

I haven't found so far.

454

:

With the exception of, hey, my neighbor

found my dog under a deck, right?

455

:

Or my neighbor found the dog

under or in my shed, or in

456

:

a barn, something like that.

457

:

Or I had a case where

the dog was in a kennel.

458

:

I flew the area and I didn't see it.

459

:

And then an hour after I left,

the neighbor called and said.

460

:

Hey I see your dog.

461

:

It's in my backyard.

462

:

It's in the kennel with

my other dogs out back.

463

:

But with the exception of those, it's

like a hundred percent of those, the ones

464

:

that I don't find are outside of the area,

like where they turn up another mile or

465

:

two away from my search grit, because

we're using the most recent sighting as

466

:

our search grid, if that makes sense.

467

:

So to simplify that answer

of the ones I don't find.

468

:

They almost always turn up outside

of the area, meaning I never flew

469

:

over top of them to begin with

because they were just runners.

470

:

And then, the majority of them with

the exception of being under or in

471

:

something, I've always found them.

472

:

, When you're skilled and you know

what you're doing and you know

473

:

how to operate the equipment

equipment it, it is pretty flawless.

474

:

It is a really good system

when you know how to use it.

475

:

Dixie: That makes sense.

476

:

With the negative searches that

you're talking about, you said

477

:

90% of the time that you're

right on those negative searches.

478

:

And you usually will inform the owners.

479

:

I don't think the dogs in this area,

I don't think the cat's in this area.

480

:

What is it that leads you to

that belief to begin with?

481

:

Joshua: I'll look at a variety of factors.

482

:

I'll look at.

483

:

If there were sightings.

484

:

I'll look at the breed of the dog.

485

:

I'll look at if there's

any disabilities, right?

486

:

A dog that's deaf and blind really does

not go far you get like a husky?

487

:

And they can live outside, they

like to travel, they like to roam.

488

:

And somebody calls me for a husky two

weeks missing, and the only sighting

489

:

was the day it was missing in the woods.

490

:

An hour later.

491

:

You can almost bet that Husky

is not gonna be in the area.

492

:

You can almost guarantee it.

493

:

It's experience honestly,

to level with you.

494

:

Some of it's guesswork.

495

:

Dogs are really unpredictable.

496

:

You could take the same two dogs from

the same litter raised in the same

497

:

house, and they both get out and they

do two entirely different things.

498

:

But.

499

:

I try to err on the side of

professionalism and caution because

500

:

again, we charge for this and I don't

want my clients to think, Hey, just

501

:

gimme your money and I'll fly my

drone and that's all I care about.

502

:

So far I have had no complaints

with my clients because I am very

503

:

transparent about how the process

works, what the possibilities are.

504

:

All of that.

505

:

And never at the end of one of my

searches has somebody said to me

506

:

you said this and you said that.

507

:

And it's always I'm glad we

checked and now we know what to do.

508

:

Or, you did say, and I'm glad we

did it, and thank you for coming.

509

:

It's always been appreciative.

510

:

It's never been you misrepresented

what you've said to us.

511

:

Dixie: And I could see definitely where

it gives people closure, especially when

512

:

they think their animal is in one area.

513

:

And at least you get that confirmation

of, no, it's not in this area, so you

514

:

can focus on going somewhere else.

515

:

Joshua: And then there's, unfortunately,

I have to bring this up so far

516

:

again, I'm not the end all, be

all of all last lost pets 'cause

517

:

millions go missing every year.

518

:

But of all the cases that I've flown.

519

:

Anytime where we have not found the

pet and we've seen a coyote, that

520

:

dog is still missing to this day.

521

:

That's something that is a reality.

522

:

And it tends to always be the

small dogs the small dogs.

523

:

During wintertime, when I get a call,

I'm always like the most concerned

524

:

about, 'cause they're the most

susceptible to the cold and they're

525

:

the most susceptible to coyotes.

526

:

And so where I was going with that is

sometimes when we're flying we'll see

527

:

coyotes and , because professionally,

I think I'm obligated, right?

528

:

I don't like.

529

:

Putting bad thoughts in people's heads

for funsies, but if I see a coyote

530

:

while I'm flying, I'm gonna show the

owner, I have to show 'em, say, Hey,

531

:

just so you know, there's two coyotes

walking around right behind your house.

532

:

Dixie: At least it gives them some

kind of closure with knowing that.

533

:

Joshua: Yeah.

534

:

And that's the hardest that's one thing

you can't really train for is the look

535

:

in somebody's eye or the tears and the

realization and sometimes , I'll say when

536

:

I don't see a coyote, the odds of that

dog returning are actually pretty high.

537

:

I don't track that.

538

:

I'm not, big on being an

actuary with all the nuances.

539

:

So most of it's on feeling, but from my

recollection, with the winter cases that

540

:

I've flown when I don't see a coyote

and it's a little dog with the exception

541

:

of, accidentally falling in water,

542

:

I just had a case that the dog.

543

:

Showed back up and it was a

little what do you call those?

544

:

Oh gosh.

545

:

It was a pug I think, or a

no, a Boston Terrier, I think.

546

:

Yeah, it was a Boston Terrier.

547

:

Thankfully we didn't see any

coyotes when we flew, and that's

548

:

what she was worried about.

549

:

I was certainly worried about that.

550

:

And that dog just showed

up in under their deck.

551

:

I think it was something like that.

552

:

The neighbor saw it and called the owner.

553

:

It was like across the

street, and I flew over there.

554

:

One of the possibilities in the

wintertime is that these dogs will

555

:

hunker down, especially the little ones.

556

:

If they're smart, they find like a

corner to hide and some, a lot of times

557

:

they're like along somebody's fence.

558

:

In a, like a grassy area, with the

snow and the ice, there's not many

559

:

good places for dogs to hide, this

one was under somebody's deck, and

560

:

the owner heard some movement under

their deck when they let their dogs

561

:

outside and looked underneath, and sure

enough, there was there was the dog.

562

:

Dixie: Wow.

563

:

Yeah.

564

:

I can't imagine having to

have that conversation though.

565

:

If you do see the coyotes.

566

:

, Joshua: Yeah.

567

:

You have to have a good bedside banner.

568

:

You can't say, Hey, your

dog's probably dead.

569

:

Just say, Hey, I did see this.

570

:

So I just instill a heightened

sense of urgency to get

571

:

flyers up and get a sighting.

572

:

And, I tell them, Hey, let's assume

the best and let's operate with

573

:

the assumption that you know,

your dog is still out there.

574

:

Let's not use this as a means to

justify not continuing to look

575

:

Dixie: right.

576

:

I have seen situations where

people give up all hope and their

577

:

animal does end up coming home.

578

:

Joshua: Did you ever see the one video?

579

:

I'm in the Facebook group with

the Lost Pet Drone Pilots.

580

:

It went pretty viral.

581

:

It was a dacshund, I believe that

went missing and he found it.

582

:

And while he is guiding the parents

to the location where the coyote comes

583

:

in, grabs it by the neck and he lowers.

584

:

His drone down almost on top of the

coyote in order to get the coyote

585

:

to be scared away from the dog.

586

:

And he let the coyote let go of the

dog's neck just in the nick of time, and

587

:

the dog actually survived the attack.

588

:

It was incredible.

589

:

Dixie: Wow.

590

:

No, I didn't see that one.

591

:

I'm gonna have to go look it up though.

592

:

That's amazing.

593

:

Joshua: Oh yeah.

594

:

I'll find it.

595

:

If you can't just message

me I'll find it for you.

596

:

Dixie: How about some reunion stories?

597

:

Do you have any interesting

reunion stories?

598

:

Joshua: The first one that pops

to my mind is one of my first, it

599

:

was like, what, within the first

10 that I did, and it was the.

600

:

The dog.

601

:

She was visiting her dad from college

and it was in my county, and the dog

602

:

got lost with the retractable leash

attached and there was no sightings.

603

:

And generally when I hear retractable

leash, you can almost guarantee that

604

:

thing's gonna be stuck somewhere.

605

:

Regular leashes don't get stuck often.

606

:

They sometimes do, but it

you can almost bet on it.

607

:

That a retractable leash

is gonna get stuck.

608

:

So I'm searching and searching.

609

:

I'm searching the first section

of woods behind their house and

610

:

I'm, flying real tight and being

real careful and we didn't see it.

611

:

We saw all the deer and animals out there

and, you can feel the sadness starting to

612

:

sink in that, we might not find this dog.

613

:

But again, I was just getting started.

614

:

We just cleared that first section

of Woods behind their house, and

615

:

so I moved across the street.

616

:

And I moved in that direction.

617

:

'cause again, I ask a lot of questions

in the beginning when I do these

618

:

cases, a lot of re recon, so to speak.

619

:

What direction did you

see them run, right?

620

:

Let's talk about that.

621

:

Does your dog like the

woods or not like the woods?

622

:

Those types of things.

623

:

And I think she answered my question.

624

:

So I decided to move across

the street and there she was.

625

:

That dog was stuck on a fallen tree.

626

:

And the owner, 'cause

we're at the dad's house.

627

:

She was actually inside

the house when I found her.

628

:

'cause she went in to get a

drink of water or something?

629

:

Actually, no.

630

:

She went in to get me coffee.

631

:

I remember now and I run in their house.

632

:

And, I bring her outside and I show her

the monitor and she's just all tears.

633

:

And it was super emotional.

634

:

There was one where I found an

African gray parrot that was lost..

635

:

I do get bragging rights.

636

:

I was the first person I believe in the

world to find a lost bird with the thermal

637

:

drone at least in the country for sure

the girl called me and African great

638

:

parrots are apparently very expensive.

639

:

And she calls me because somebody

referred her to me, as most people are.

640

:

And.

641

:

I explained to her, I was really

honest with, I said, listen, I've

642

:

never searched for a lost bird before.

643

:

Will it see a bird?

644

:

Yes, but understand, your bird could be on

a rooftop, on a wire on the ground, in a

645

:

tree at the edge of the tree by the trunk

of the tree all the way in the middle

646

:

of the tree or 10 miles away already.

647

:

Like we don't know.

648

:

She said, yes, I know.

649

:

I appreciate all of your

honesty, but literally you're

650

:

all I've got you are all I have.

651

:

You're my you're my last dish effort.

652

:

I said, yeah, this is a

bit of a hail Mary pass.

653

:

Again, I asked a lot of questions

where she saw the bird fly off and

654

:

what direction, and when I came

over to her house, I was simply.

655

:

Circling trees.

656

:

I went tree after tree and just

started circling the trees,

657

:

looking for heat signatures.

658

:

And a lot of times the heat signatures

you see in trees are squirrels, right?

659

:

So there's a lot of like false positives.

660

:

We see something in the tree on

the thermal camera and we switch to

661

:

the RGB camera and it's a squirrel.

662

:

And your heart rate goes up for a

second, and then there's a let down and.

663

:

Finally we looked at this one and we zoom

in and we see the red, 'cause the African

664

:

gray parrots have like red on their tails.

665

:

And so we see the gray and we see the

red and she loses her mind, or her

666

:

husband's trying to calm her down.

667

:

And we had to actually call in the

fire department with a ladder truck to

668

:

climb up the tree to get the bird down.

669

:

So I filmed all of that and

that was a nice story too.

670

:

It's a good, departure from

your average lost dog case.

671

:

And then for like present day with

all the ice that we had up here,

672

:

there was a dog that was missing.

673

:

I went out that night, so they,

the dog went missing at 4:00 PM.

674

:

I was out there, they called me when

I was laying down for bed actually.

675

:

I had just laid down and I got a text

message and I started chatting with

676

:

them and got some details of the case.

677

:

And this area that this dog is lost

in is the same area where just a few

678

:

weeks earlier, there was a dog that

lives on the same type of train.

679

:

We're talking like homes.

680

:

On the Chesapeake, basically that are

right on the water, where at the edge

681

:

of their house is a very steep hill.

682

:

Like two steps away from the house

and you're going down the hill.

683

:

And that dog Lila was fresh on my mind

because Lila went down the hill and went

684

:

into the water and I was at least able

to find Lila to give the family closure

685

:

. But that was fresh on my mind.

686

:

So I don't think I mentioned that

to them, but I knew the urgency

687

:

of the situation and that terrain.

688

:

So I I got there I think at 1:00

AM:

689

:

They were down in Anne Arundel

County and we found their dogs still

690

:

alive at the very top of a hill.

691

:

Sandwich between the ledge, right?

692

:

Two steps in the wrong direction.

693

:

It's going down the hill into

the water and like a retaining

694

:

wall, and he was stuck.

695

:

The dog's name was happy,

by the way, cute name.

696

:

And this rescue was very dangerous because

the dog knew that it couldn't walk.

697

:

To get out of the area.

698

:

It was stuck.

699

:

It couldn't go down the hill 'cause

it knew it would slide and trying to

700

:

walk behind itself in that direction or

ahead in the direction it was facing.

701

:

It didn't feel safe to do that.

702

:

So dad literally had to basically

cliff hang off of this retaining wall

703

:

and he had a very small foot pad.

704

:

For his feet, where it was like maybe

like a foot and a half wide, or he

705

:

would himself slide down the hill.

706

:

And that was interesting.

707

:

I fell on my butt in that rescue.

708

:

I slipped and fell in the

yard, landed on my keer.

709

:

But yeah, we got that one back.

710

:

They were absolutely

tickled pink at that one.

711

:

That was another great one.

712

:

And I've saved people's Thanksgivings

and Christmases and marriages.

713

:

The one guy when we found the dog,

he's man, you saved my marriage.

714

:

What he said to me,

that was a funny story.

715

:

Yeah, people have called me like

the day before Thanksgiving or the

716

:

Christmas Eve, those types of cases.

717

:

There's lots of stories, but

those are some of my favorites.

718

:

Dixie: You just said you were going to

bed, you got this call, you went out

719

:

and you basically rescued this dog.

720

:

So Yes.

721

:

Imagine that you don't

operate on appointments.

722

:

Is it just like you get

a call and you just go.

723

:

Joshua: Yeah.

724

:

Or you're in a queue because I'll

be on a call and then somebody

725

:

else will call, and then I have to

say, Hey, I'm already on a case.

726

:

So in that regard, it becomes

an appointment at that.

727

:

But yes, the large, by

and large, I am on call.

728

:

As you speak.

729

:

Somebody calls me and I'm not

already preoccupied with something,

730

:

I'll go out and help them search.

731

:

Dixie: Before we go, I would like to

know where can we find out more about

732

:

your company, precision Drone Services,

and where can we go watch your videos?

733

:

Joshua: You can find me mostly on

Facebook Precision Drone Services.

734

:

I'm on YouTube, I'm on TikTok.

735

:

I put stuff up there occasionally, but

most of my stuff goes up on Facebook.

736

:

So if you just search for Precision

Drone Services, lost Pet Search

737

:

and Rescue, I should pop up there.

738

:

, Dixie: Great.

739

:

And I'll include that in the

description, show notes too so

740

:

people know where to find you.

741

:

And I'm looking forward to going

and looking at some of your videos

742

:

'cause these sound pretty exciting.

743

:

Joshua: Yeah.

744

:

Yeah.

745

:

They're rewarding to they're a lot

different than deer when you're

746

:

dealing with somebody's loved one.

747

:

Dixie: Thank you so much.

748

:

I appreciated speaking with you.

749

:

Joshua: Yeah, thank you very much.

750

:

Dixie: That's it for today's episode.

751

:

I wanna thank everybody for

listening and supporting us.

752

:

If you wanna take that an extra

step, consider becoming a member.

753

:

We just added this to our

website, animalposse.com,

754

:

scroll down, look for the support tab.

755

:

Our membership program is going to

help us directly support animals

756

:

in need, whether that be through

vaccinations, food or spay neuter efforts.

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube