Transcripts
Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the
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people and rescues making a
difference in the lives of animals.
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Welcome back everybody.
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Today we're talking about that terrifying
moment that your pet goes missing, and the
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eye in the sky that is bringing them home.
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We're joined by Joshua Barry.
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He is the founder of
Precision Drone Services.
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Joshua: Hey.
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Dixie: Welcome to the show.
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I am interested in learning about
how you use drones to find lost pets.
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'cause I know typically when people see
a drone in the sky, they think people
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are just up there just like getting
a view of everything, taking photos.
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Joshua: Alien invasion, government
spying, intrusion, all that.
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Sure.
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Their minds go wild.
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Dixie: How is it that you became involved
with looking for lost pets and drones?
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Joshua: It wasn't a direct path.
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So my main business, which I've been doing
26 years, is photography and videography.
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And , I do stills and video and a very
small part of that business is drone work.
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But nonetheless, it afforded me
the opportunity to learn how to
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fly drones on that side of things.
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But I'm also, techie.
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I like cool technology and I'm a
hunter and outdoorsy and I've got a
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first responders type of mentality.
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So when I saw these drones that
had thermal technology built into
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them, I knew I wanted to have it.
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I wasn't sure what I was gonna do
with it, but I definitely wanted
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to just have a little piece of
that technology and I started.
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Using that drone commercially for
deer recoveries, are you familiar
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with what deer recoveries are?
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Dixie: I am not.
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Joshua: So you're a hunter and you shoot
a deer and you lose the blood trail.
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Maybe it rains, washes the blood
trail away, or it runs into a thick
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area that you can't quite get to or
further away than you're used to.
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And we.
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Can use these same drones that I use for
pets to help a hunter find their deer.
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That way they don't lose their deer
and they can fill a tag and the
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deer doesn't become coyote food.
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So I started doing that, and then as
I was putting myself out there for
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that type of service, I had somebody
approach me about, Hey, do you think
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you could use this to find a lost pet?
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I let you help me find my deer.
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I happen to lose my dog.
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Can you come out and bring your drone?
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I said, yeah, sure.
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So that's how that started.
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, It really was very accidental transition.
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And right around the same
time, there was a guy who.
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Was the very first person in the
country named Justin Arant to use
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these drones for this application.
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He's like the godfather of
using drones to find lost pets.
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And I met him right around the
same time and he has mentored me on
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how to use, how to do it properly.
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'Cause there's a right way
and a wrong way to do things.
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It's a lot more complicated
than just finding a deer.
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So that sort of developed from
there, I started learning from him.
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I start, because I'm a videographer
and a photographer, I would record my
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rescues and I would make these little
videos and I'd put 'em up on Facebook,
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and that gathered a lot of attention.
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I was the first person probably in a
300 mile radius to do this type of work
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for about a year, easily before anybody
else started doing the lost pet work.
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And then, there's others
that do it too now.
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But yeah, I quickly gained a lot
of attention for it and I've helped
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a lot of people and sometimes I
get more calls than I can handle.
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Dixie: How is it that you did that
first rescue of that dog from the
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hunter that had called you back
and said, Hey, can you help me come
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find my dog to doing it full time?
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Like, when did you say, I'm gonna use
it just solely for this application?
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Joshua: The public kind
of made that decision.
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It wasn't like a conscious decision.
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I wasn't aiming to be as busy as I am.
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Honestly, after my first couple
of 'em, I just thought, okay, I'll
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do it occasionally and my phone
will ring several times a week,
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sometimes several times a day.
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It wasn't really a I decided that
I'll take whatever comes my way.
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I'm not an ambulance chaser, I'm
not chasing people down to let me
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help them, use my drone because
again, we charge for this stuff.
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So I think it's a little
unprofessional, so to speak, to be.
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Ambulance chasing type of service,
but people call me left and right
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message me on Facebook and people
tag me all the time in posts.
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So it was a very organic.
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Arrival at how busy I am.
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It wasn't like an aim of mine or I
certainly accept what's come my way
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and I'm grateful and I'm happy to
be involved with helping so many pet
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owners get re reunited with their pets.
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But it, it wasn't like on
my radar to aim for that.
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Target, it was just, Hey, here's another
thing that I could do to help people.
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And I had no idea how many people would
be interested or how many pets went
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missing, again, to bring up my mentor,
Justin , he did a deep dive once and.
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He looked up how many lost pets go
missing every year in the United
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States, and it's 10 million.
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And , I only learned that maybe
like a year ago or six months
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ago, something like that.
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When he told me, I had no idea.
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You don't know how many pets go
missed until you join some of
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these lost pet groups on Facebook.
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And it's every day, every county,
every day there's pets that go misses.
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Dixie: Yeah, I'm passionate about
the lost pets 'cause I do run
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two lost pets group in my area.
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We don't have a lot of
the drones in our area.
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Now, we are in the city, so I don't know
if you do this more in the city or if
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you do it more like a rural type area.
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But I, I don't see anybody in
our area using the drones yet.
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Joshua: What state are you in?
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Dixie: I'm in Louisiana,
in the New Orleans area.
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Joshua: Okay.
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Yeah, there's more and more every day.
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There's actually like a phone book
that has developed where, say I get
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calls from places that I don't go.
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People call me from Georgia and
Minneapolis, Minnesota and Indiana,
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and we have this little phone book we
can pull up that's on the internet and
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we can say I'm in Maryland, but this
guy's about an hour away from you.
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Why don't you give him a call?
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So I could probably look it
up and see if there are any
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actually in Louisiana doing it.
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Dixie: Do you do it more in a rural area
or do you do it in the cities as well?
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Joshua: I do operate in the
cities too if people call me.
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But I would say two thirds to three
quarters, probably close to three
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quarters of mine are in either suburban
neighborhoods or rural neighborhoods.
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Dixie: In the suburban type areas,
are there like certain permits
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or rules that you have to follow
with having your drones there?
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Joshua: No, the only rules that we
have to follow are the FAA rules
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where there's certain airspace
that are restricted or controlled.
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And if we're in controlled
airspace, we have to make sure
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we get permission from the FAA.
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If it's restricted airspace, we have
to apply for a waiver, but a lot of
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times, especially near DC they're not
gonna grant a waiver to fly your drone
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in what's called the DC freeze, which
is a 15 mile ring around DC where no
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drones are allowed to fly unless you
have a specific waiver, and then it's
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very complicated to fly in that ring.
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And , I've never really heard of them
granting permission for somebody to
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fly a drone to look for a missing dog.
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There, there's a lot of
logistics and security involved.
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You have to hire a private
police officer to chaperone you.
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It's incredibly complicated,
but for the most part, no, we
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don't need special permission.
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You just have to have your, because
we're flying for commercial reasons,
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what's called our part 1 0 7 license.
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So we have to go through studying
and testing to become licensed,
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to do this to fly commercially.
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But that's not a specific
search and rescue license.
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It's a general commercial drone pilot
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Dixie: license.
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Compared to, the other type of drone
work that you did in the past, do
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you find there's like more pressure
with this because you're like almost
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looking for a lost family member?
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Joshua: Exactly.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, I played detective too.
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I ask a lot of questions.
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I ask about where the sightings
are because , this is a family
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member as a living being that
they love and care about.
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You want to give it as much care as if
somebody was missing their child, right?
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They got out of the house and it's
walking around the cornfield somewhere.
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So I ask a lot of
questions in the beginning.
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I ask about the dog and the size of the
breed and if there's disabilities and the
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age, and has there been any sightings?
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We're playing detective.
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We're really trying to play
detective here and figure out , what
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direction the dog might have went.
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Might what?
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Area it might be in.
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And even if this is the right time
for a drone to go up in the air,
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there's plenty of cases where, you have
multiple sightings, but each sighting
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is a two miles away from the last one.
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And when a dog's moving that
fast, it really doesn't make
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sense to put a drone up because
by the time you get to that area.
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The dog's gonna be outside of it.
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So we're really measuring everything
and treating it very carefully
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before we come out and fly.
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Dixie: Typically when an
animal goes missing, people
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will usually start, step one.
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They'll go do either old school
flyers, they'll go post on social
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media, they'll go walking the
neighborhood, calling for their dog.
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At what point do they.
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Call you to get you involved?
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Joshua: That's a good question.
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It varies.
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Some people are aware of our
tech and our service, so they'll
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call us sooner than later.
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There's plenty of people that call
us a day or two later and they're
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like, I wish I had known about you
the day my dog went missing, or
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I would've called you right away.
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There's other people that.
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Rely on traditional methods like flyers,
which in my opinion, flyers are the
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best tool above dogs, above drones.
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When you can raise public awareness.
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And especially if like you've gone a
full day and your dog hasn't returned.
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Flyers are the best tool because
people can drive around from out of
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town and all the time and come through
your area and they'll see your dog.
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But it's rare that they're gonna run
to Facebook and report a sighting.
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But if they saw a sign on a
lamppost, they're like, oh, that
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looks like the white dog from
that picture on the lamppost.
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And then they'll go to
the sign and call you.
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So I think that signs on
lampposts are the best tool.
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So
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Dixie: Let's talk about,
how the drones work.
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Yeah.
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So you have thermal on the drone, and
then how far, how high up do you go?
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Joshua: So attached to the drones
payload, meaning like the camera system,
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there's several different lenses there.
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You've got the thermal camera, then
you've got a wide angle camera,
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you've got a zoom camera, excuse me,
and then you've got a range finder.
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The thermal camera is what's looking
for the heat signatures, and then
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assuming we're flying at night.
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When I see a heat signature that I would
like to try to identify with the push
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of a button, we can zoom in, turn on
the spotlight, and we can see exactly
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what it is in full color as bright as
day, a lot of times, or bright enough
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where we can make an identification.
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We can see is it a deer, is it a
dog, is it a cat, is it a coyote?
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Is it a fox?
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Is it a squirrel?
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Is it a raccoon?
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We can see exactly what it's, and then
with the range finder, assuming we
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find the pet, we can mark that location
on the map with the range finder.
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And that pin that I drop on my remote
control has GPS coordinates attached
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to it, and we can transfer those GPS
coordinates into the lost pet parents.
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Google Maps within, less than a minute.
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You just scan the QR code on my screen
and that location will pop right up.
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As far as how high we fly, that
depends on let's say the distance away
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I am from the remote control, right?
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How, or how far the drone is away from me.
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Ideally I like to start like 175
feet up, and the further away I get.
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The more the signal will deteriorate.
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So I have to raise the drone
up a little bit higher.
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But ideally it's good to stay
as low as you safely can because
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the closer the sensor is to the
ground, the more effective it is.
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But in all seriousness, in all
honesty, there's plenty of times
229
00:13:27,418 --> 00:13:29,128
where the conditions are so good.
230
00:13:29,128 --> 00:13:32,218
You're 400 feet, 350, 400 feet in the air.
231
00:13:33,218 --> 00:13:35,768
And you can still see a bunny
rabbit right on the ground
232
00:13:35,768 --> 00:13:37,728
easy with the thermal camera.
233
00:13:38,143 --> 00:13:40,728
So I hope that answers your question.
234
00:13:40,908 --> 00:13:43,098
Dixie: Yeah, that's what I was
gonna actually ask you what the
235
00:13:43,098 --> 00:13:44,918
range of the thermal camera is.
236
00:13:44,918 --> 00:13:48,218
'cause I know like with a regular
thermal camera, if you go take that
237
00:13:48,218 --> 00:13:51,368
out and you look at it, it's very
limited range of where you're looking.
238
00:13:51,698 --> 00:13:55,298
So you have to be close to
basically what you're looking for.
239
00:13:55,758 --> 00:13:55,818
Yeah.
240
00:13:55,935 --> 00:13:57,975
Joshua: Yeah, distance will affect that.
241
00:13:58,215 --> 00:14:01,005
But again, when you're flying in
some really good thermal conditions,
242
00:14:01,005 --> 00:14:05,515
like at night the thermal camera
is very sensitive on these drones.
243
00:14:05,515 --> 00:14:08,475
And you could see a bunny rabbit
pretty clearly, you'll see a little
244
00:14:08,475 --> 00:14:12,555
red dot and you zoom in, turn on
your spotlight and you can see
245
00:14:12,555 --> 00:14:13,755
the bunny rabbit sitting there.
246
00:14:14,575 --> 00:14:18,415
Dixie: When you do the spotlight,
do you have to go down to put the
247
00:14:18,415 --> 00:14:21,285
spotlight or can you do the spotlight,
I guess from high up as well?
248
00:14:22,255 --> 00:14:26,335
Joshua: You can do it from high up, but
I would say to get a real good picture.
249
00:14:27,805 --> 00:14:35,815
To really make a good identification, you
wanna be no more than 250 feet away from
250
00:14:35,815 --> 00:14:37,375
the object you're trying to light up.
251
00:14:37,405 --> 00:14:42,325
It is better to be closer to that
object once you get past two 50.
252
00:14:42,605 --> 00:14:45,635
With the inverse square law,
whatever the light starts to die
253
00:14:45,635 --> 00:14:47,195
off and it doesn't light it up.
254
00:14:47,195 --> 00:14:50,855
I've been further away and made
identifications, but it really
255
00:14:50,855 --> 00:14:54,305
depends on factors like what type of.
256
00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:58,820
Terrain, the animals in how much cover
it's in, what color the animal is.
257
00:14:58,820 --> 00:15:02,420
Like we're, if we're looking for a
white dog, it's gonna, it's gonna
258
00:15:02,420 --> 00:15:07,630
light up from that light even from
350 feet away, because it reflects
259
00:15:07,630 --> 00:15:08,950
light instead of absorbing it.
260
00:15:08,950 --> 00:15:12,470
But if we're looking for a black dog,
yeah, we gotta be close, it's good
261
00:15:12,470 --> 00:15:15,360
to be two, 200 200, 250 feet away.
262
00:15:16,277 --> 00:15:19,467
Dixie: And what about if you have
a a good tree canopy or tree cover?
263
00:15:20,862 --> 00:15:26,412
Joshua: Yeah, so you can, and I have
found animals during the times where
264
00:15:26,442 --> 00:15:28,692
everything has leaves on the trees, right?
265
00:15:28,692 --> 00:15:31,302
During the spring and summer
when all the leaves grow back.
266
00:15:31,632 --> 00:15:33,132
I've certainly had success.
267
00:15:33,132 --> 00:15:35,922
It is definitely harder to do.
268
00:15:36,102 --> 00:15:39,162
You have to fly a little differently,
a little slower, a little tighter,
269
00:15:39,642 --> 00:15:43,722
and then there's always a risk that
you're gonna miss an animal because
270
00:15:43,722 --> 00:15:47,892
it's under too many layers of canopy.
271
00:15:48,262 --> 00:15:51,652
Usually you can find a window down
to the ground and if you look at
272
00:15:51,652 --> 00:15:55,052
the same spot from different angles,
you can see what's down there.
273
00:15:55,052 --> 00:15:59,822
But it's definitely harder to
do and it's also easier to miss
274
00:16:00,272 --> 00:16:01,502
something that's down there.
275
00:16:01,502 --> 00:16:08,132
So you gotta, when we do these spring and
summertime missions, we give all those
276
00:16:08,192 --> 00:16:12,372
disclaimers to the to the lost pet parents
say, Hey, listen, if he's in the woods.
277
00:16:13,257 --> 00:16:17,997
I've had success in the woods, but just
so you know, it is possible that we could
278
00:16:17,997 --> 00:16:23,047
fly over top of them and miss them if
they happen to be under too many layers.
279
00:16:23,087 --> 00:16:27,947
I did a recovery once, a rescue
once in Hawaii, and that was just.
280
00:16:28,522 --> 00:16:33,412
You're talking like rainforest
level of canopy versus what
281
00:16:33,412 --> 00:16:35,002
we get here in the northeast.
282
00:16:35,122 --> 00:16:37,912
But still, nonetheless,
it, you gotta be careful.
283
00:16:37,912 --> 00:16:39,322
You gotta fly slower, tighter.
284
00:16:39,322 --> 00:16:42,592
You gotta look at the same spot
for multiple angles to be sure.
285
00:16:42,832 --> 00:16:44,262
And even then it's not guaranteed.
286
00:16:45,112 --> 00:16:49,552
When, like this time of year when I'm
flying in the woods, like I am 99.
287
00:16:50,102 --> 00:16:53,762
Percent sure that if I flew those
woods, that animal's not in there.
288
00:16:54,462 --> 00:16:57,972
The exception would be if there's
like a down, like three down trees
289
00:16:57,972 --> 00:17:01,602
laying next to each other and that dog
happens to be underneath those trees.
290
00:17:01,602 --> 00:17:05,232
But even then, I could sometimes spot it
because if you look at it from an angle,
291
00:17:05,622 --> 00:17:07,482
you can see underneath those trees.
292
00:17:07,482 --> 00:17:10,652
But, this time of year, it's a
lot easier to do for sure, if
293
00:17:10,652 --> 00:17:11,642
you're looking in the woods.
294
00:17:13,587 --> 00:17:17,757
Dixie: If you're in a suburban
area, how is everything affected
295
00:17:17,757 --> 00:17:19,457
by buildings and stuff like that?
296
00:17:20,688 --> 00:17:25,068
Joshua: You mean in terms of
the ability to search properly
297
00:17:25,157 --> 00:17:26,328
or how do you mean that?
298
00:17:26,938 --> 00:17:29,968
Dixie: I guess if you're searching
in an area that's suburban, you
299
00:17:29,968 --> 00:17:33,578
have a lot of houses, , I would
imagine that you're gonna get like
300
00:17:33,578 --> 00:17:35,588
a lot of like background noise.
301
00:17:36,388 --> 00:17:39,828
From all the heat coming off
of homes and stuff like that.
302
00:17:40,138 --> 00:17:45,268
And I guess just, you'd be looking at a
lot more animals in a suburban area Yeah.
303
00:17:45,668 --> 00:17:46,238
That are gonna Yeah.
304
00:17:46,538 --> 00:17:48,728
Put off those heat signatures
that look like, if you're looking
305
00:17:48,728 --> 00:17:50,288
for a dog, you're gonna see
306
00:17:50,348 --> 00:17:50,738
Joshua: Yeah.
307
00:17:50,768 --> 00:17:51,323
Dixie: Quite a few dogs.
308
00:17:52,463 --> 00:17:54,293
Joshua: Yeah, you're
gonna see a lot of dogs.
309
00:17:54,293 --> 00:17:58,093
You're gonna see a lot of ventilation
units, a lot of central air units
310
00:17:58,093 --> 00:18:01,723
that look like a dog that's nestled up
against the side of somebody's house.
311
00:18:01,723 --> 00:18:08,428
But you and electrical infrastructure,
you learn through experience though how to
312
00:18:08,428 --> 00:18:10,603
not waste your time to look at something.
313
00:18:11,638 --> 00:18:16,308
And you learn what the heat signature
of a central air unit looks like, or
314
00:18:16,308 --> 00:18:21,798
a transformer on a pole looks like,
or a electrical junction box that,
315
00:18:21,798 --> 00:18:26,808
those green boxes that sit in people's
yards near the street, like you
316
00:18:26,808 --> 00:18:31,758
learn to skip over them because they
become easy to identify when you're.
317
00:18:32,113 --> 00:18:36,223
You just start out flying, you end up
looking at everything and you learn
318
00:18:36,223 --> 00:18:38,023
pretty quickly, Hey, I could skip that.
319
00:18:38,023 --> 00:18:41,173
I know that's a transformer, I know
that's essential air unit 'cause I can
320
00:18:41,173 --> 00:18:46,683
see the fan blades moving or because
it'll make the red heat signature flash.
321
00:18:46,743 --> 00:18:49,363
And that's an indication that, that's the.
322
00:18:49,848 --> 00:18:52,578
The central air unit and the fans
are spinning, stuff like that.
323
00:18:52,958 --> 00:18:54,188
Other complications.
324
00:18:54,188 --> 00:18:59,438
If a dog runs under somebody's deck or a
cat runs under a deck, I'm not gonna see
325
00:18:59,438 --> 00:19:00,908
it 'cause it doesn't have x-ray vision.
326
00:19:00,908 --> 00:19:04,868
I was on a search once for a
cat and we found the cat and
327
00:19:04,868 --> 00:19:06,098
we ended up getting it back.
328
00:19:06,098 --> 00:19:10,358
But in the middle of the story,
I'm tracking the cat as the owner
329
00:19:10,358 --> 00:19:14,048
is moving towards the, their
cat's location and I watch it.
330
00:19:14,413 --> 00:19:15,763
Go under a deck.
331
00:19:16,123 --> 00:19:18,913
Now, once it was under the deck,
I couldn't see it anymore, but
332
00:19:18,913 --> 00:19:20,383
I at least knew where it was.
333
00:19:20,383 --> 00:19:25,213
So the owner came over to the deck and
coaxed her cat out from underneath the
334
00:19:25,213 --> 00:19:26,833
deck, and she was able to bring it home.
335
00:19:27,163 --> 00:19:30,733
But once it goes underneath something,
the thermal signature, disappears.
336
00:19:30,733 --> 00:19:33,913
You're not gonna see it if it
goes into a shed under a shed.
337
00:19:33,913 --> 00:19:35,983
There's plenty of times when I'm flying.
338
00:19:36,968 --> 00:19:42,908
I'll watch Cat or Fox crawl in and out
from underneath people's sheds, right?
339
00:19:42,908 --> 00:19:44,738
They don't even go in 'em,
they go underneath them.
340
00:19:45,278 --> 00:19:48,068
And, these aren't my targets that
I'm looking for, but it's just
341
00:19:48,118 --> 00:19:51,328
puts an asterisk on the point of
once something goes underneath
342
00:19:51,328 --> 00:19:55,183
something you're not gonna see it
anymore, so you'll fly right over it.
343
00:19:56,913 --> 00:20:02,523
Dixie: How does it workwhen an owner calls
you and you take the assignment, do they
344
00:20:02,523 --> 00:20:07,443
go out with you to the area in case you do
345
00:20:07,493 --> 00:20:10,643
Joshua: yeah, I, so I encourage
that they stay with me while I'm
346
00:20:10,643 --> 00:20:15,203
searching because you never know
what the situation's gonna be.
347
00:20:15,203 --> 00:20:19,213
And I advise them that we could
find ourselves in a situation where
348
00:20:19,213 --> 00:20:22,963
we have to act quickly, and if
I have to call them and wait for
349
00:20:22,963 --> 00:20:26,083
them to arrive, our opportunity.
350
00:20:26,373 --> 00:20:31,993
To rescue their lost pet May our
window may cease, meaning let's say the
351
00:20:31,993 --> 00:20:38,033
dog's on their feet and they're moving
rapidly and they move so fast that now
352
00:20:38,033 --> 00:20:39,653
they're out of the range of my drone.
353
00:20:40,083 --> 00:20:44,003
So it's better to have the owner
there with me while I'm searching.
354
00:20:44,483 --> 00:20:50,213
That way we can move in as quickly
and as intelligently as possible to
355
00:20:50,573 --> 00:20:52,848
get that, pet back with their owner.
356
00:20:54,142 --> 00:20:57,112
Dixie: When the owner calls you,
are there any circumstances when you
357
00:20:57,112 --> 00:21:00,262
might , tell the owner like, look,
this isn't a really good scenario.
358
00:21:00,262 --> 00:21:04,372
I know like you said earlier, if
you have a dog and it, you just have
359
00:21:04,372 --> 00:21:08,032
sightings of the dog running but
not going into a particular spot.
360
00:21:08,032 --> 00:21:10,522
So are there times when you would
turn down a job and say, look,
361
00:21:10,522 --> 00:21:11,247
I don't think it's gonna work.
362
00:21:12,448 --> 00:21:16,148
Joshua: There's a couple scenarios and
I always give them the most amount of
363
00:21:16,148 --> 00:21:20,138
information in my opinion, and I always
leave it up to them, and sometimes they
364
00:21:20,138 --> 00:21:24,838
still want me to fly anyway, but I'll
give them the recommendation to wait.
365
00:21:24,838 --> 00:21:26,488
Here's two examples.
366
00:21:27,748 --> 00:21:32,578
Let's say somebody calls me and said,
Hey, my dog got out February 1st.
367
00:21:33,158 --> 00:21:34,118
What's today's date?
368
00:21:34,388 --> 00:21:35,618
It's February 9th.
369
00:21:36,098 --> 00:21:41,048
And we haven't had a single
sighting yet, and it's been,
370
00:21:41,048 --> 00:21:42,818
now we're talking nine days.
371
00:21:42,878 --> 00:21:50,318
And I'll say to them something along the
lines of it, because when I fly my drone,
372
00:21:50,988 --> 00:21:54,708
, as far as the signal range of the drone, I
can really only fly about a half to three
373
00:21:54,713 --> 00:21:56,113
quarters of a mile in every direction.
374
00:21:57,228 --> 00:22:01,008
If the dog's in that area and there's some
piece of it facing the sky, I'll see it.
375
00:22:01,518 --> 00:22:07,098
But the likelihood of a dog after nine
days being in that radius and no sighting.
376
00:22:07,428 --> 00:22:08,988
And it depends on the terrain too.
377
00:22:08,988 --> 00:22:12,918
Especially like a a suburban
neighborhood type of situation
378
00:22:12,918 --> 00:22:14,373
that's that's a pretty long time.
379
00:22:14,423 --> 00:22:16,643
I'd say to 'em, Hey, listen, you
might wanna wait for sighting.
380
00:22:16,643 --> 00:22:17,993
Have you put signs up yet?
381
00:22:18,388 --> 00:22:19,798
I'll ask 'em those questions.
382
00:22:19,798 --> 00:22:22,108
Are you working with anybody else?
383
00:22:22,158 --> 00:22:23,868
And try to generate a sighting.
384
00:22:23,868 --> 00:22:25,308
Sometimes they help me out anyway.
385
00:22:25,308 --> 00:22:27,358
They say, listen, I
hear what you're saying.
386
00:22:27,358 --> 00:22:29,468
I really want you to just check anyway.
387
00:22:29,468 --> 00:22:31,208
So that way we know for sure.
388
00:22:31,208 --> 00:22:32,198
And I say fine.
389
00:22:32,888 --> 00:22:37,268
Another situation was there's
a dog named Diesel in my next
390
00:22:37,268 --> 00:22:38,618
county over in Cecil County.
391
00:22:39,413 --> 00:22:43,553
And it was lost for two
months before it was rescued.
392
00:22:43,553 --> 00:22:49,913
I was contacted about diesel, about a
month in, and every sighting that popped
393
00:22:49,913 --> 00:22:52,943
up for diesel was several miles away.
394
00:22:52,993 --> 00:22:57,013
The last sighting a month ago
of diesel before he was rescued
395
00:22:57,073 --> 00:22:59,113
was 12 miles away from home.
396
00:22:59,113 --> 00:23:02,733
And I gave them the same kind of rundown.
397
00:23:02,733 --> 00:23:05,523
I said, he's moving so fast that.
398
00:23:06,253 --> 00:23:11,013
I could come out there and he has already
traveled outside the range of my drone.
399
00:23:11,433 --> 00:23:16,593
And if we can get some more sightings
and we see a pattern developing where
400
00:23:16,593 --> 00:23:20,883
he's starting to relax and the sightings
are starting to cluster, that's a
401
00:23:20,883 --> 00:23:23,253
really good scenario for a drone there.
402
00:23:23,733 --> 00:23:27,753
And, ultimately they
elected not to have me out.
403
00:23:27,753 --> 00:23:29,913
They took my advice and.
404
00:23:30,303 --> 00:23:31,413
It's a good thing too.
405
00:23:31,413 --> 00:23:36,933
I think that if I had come out to fly,
I wouldn't have found it because it was
406
00:23:36,933 --> 00:23:41,613
about a half a mile away, just about a
week ago where he was finally spotted.
407
00:23:42,183 --> 00:23:43,623
He was spotted by a farmer.
408
00:23:43,923 --> 00:23:45,903
The pet owner came out to that location.
409
00:23:45,903 --> 00:23:48,273
It was about a half a mile away
from the most recent sighting.
410
00:23:48,273 --> 00:23:49,323
That was a month ago.
411
00:23:50,253 --> 00:23:53,403
And they found that he was
sleeping in the hay barn.
412
00:23:53,733 --> 00:23:57,973
He had this little hole that he had
for himself and, sleeping in there.
413
00:23:57,973 --> 00:24:01,493
And so had I come out to fly, I wouldn't
have seen him anyway if he was in that
414
00:24:01,493 --> 00:24:03,703
barn because again, can't see through.
415
00:24:03,763 --> 00:24:04,903
He doesn't have x-ray vision.
416
00:24:05,393 --> 00:24:09,273
There's a case where they they took my
advice and it was the right decision
417
00:24:09,273 --> 00:24:10,503
'cause I wouldn't have found him.
418
00:24:10,683 --> 00:24:15,573
And, he was rescued because
again, flyers were, in public
419
00:24:15,573 --> 00:24:17,913
awareness was the magic here.
420
00:24:17,913 --> 00:24:22,173
'cause that farmer who saw the
dog either saw a flyer in the area
421
00:24:22,413 --> 00:24:24,213
or knew about the Facebook post.
422
00:24:24,243 --> 00:24:27,963
'cause he was famous because he had
been missing so long and he called
423
00:24:27,963 --> 00:24:32,673
the owner right away and they came out
and within the day they had 'em back.
424
00:24:32,883 --> 00:24:34,923
Yep, that's how that works.
425
00:24:35,983 --> 00:24:37,548
Dixie: What would you
say your success rate is?
426
00:24:39,493 --> 00:24:45,183
Joshua: So I take a range of cases,
so you gotta break it up because
427
00:24:45,233 --> 00:24:48,353
, in search and rescue, there's
things called negative searches.
428
00:24:48,753 --> 00:24:52,063
Where you fly to confirm that the
dog's probably not in the area.
429
00:24:52,063 --> 00:24:55,843
So I take a lot of cases where
there the owner is convinced.
430
00:24:55,873 --> 00:24:59,023
Let's say for example, the owner
is convinced that they're in
431
00:24:59,023 --> 00:25:03,373
this section of woods and they
can't get it out of their head.
432
00:25:03,913 --> 00:25:09,613
And they haven't done much other than post
on Facebook and walk through those woods.
433
00:25:09,643 --> 00:25:15,253
They're not putting flyers up and I come
in and break the chains on their mind
434
00:25:15,253 --> 00:25:17,218
about their dog being in these woods.
435
00:25:17,368 --> 00:25:20,578
It's very rare that there
actually are in those woods.
436
00:25:20,788 --> 00:25:26,758
So I do a lot of those negative searches
and almost indirectly it does lead
437
00:25:26,758 --> 00:25:30,808
to the rescue of their dog because
now they're doing the right things.
438
00:25:31,678 --> 00:25:35,698
To get their dog back, put
flyers up outside of the area
439
00:25:35,698 --> 00:25:37,528
that they're really honed in on.
440
00:25:37,918 --> 00:25:44,428
I would say of the times where I
come out, where I feel, and I've
441
00:25:44,428 --> 00:25:49,948
explained to the owner that the dog
is probably not in the area, I'd
442
00:25:49,948 --> 00:25:53,638
say 90% of them I'm correct on 90%.
443
00:25:53,688 --> 00:25:56,298
And that's 90% I come out
and don't find it, but.
444
00:25:56,883 --> 00:26:00,813
The going into it, I feel
that I'm not gonna find it.
445
00:26:01,113 --> 00:26:03,183
And I've communicated that to the owner.
446
00:26:03,693 --> 00:26:08,993
When I fly cases that have a
high likelihood of success,
447
00:26:09,383 --> 00:26:12,743
they are between 50 and 60%.
448
00:26:13,433 --> 00:26:15,473
These are cases where
there's a recent sighting.
449
00:26:16,418 --> 00:26:21,668
And the or there's a cluster of sightings
that shows a really clear pattern.
450
00:26:22,058 --> 00:26:28,418
I would say of the 40 to 50% that
I don't find, I would say a hundred
451
00:26:28,658 --> 00:26:35,053
not, I would say so far, 'cause I
don't track everything to the T but
452
00:26:35,053 --> 00:26:37,453
I do follow ups with my clients.
453
00:26:37,453 --> 00:26:42,433
So of the 40 to 50% that
I haven't found so far.
454
00:26:43,168 --> 00:26:48,208
With the exception of, hey, my neighbor
found my dog under a deck, right?
455
00:26:48,758 --> 00:26:52,868
Or my neighbor found the dog
under or in my shed, or in
456
00:26:52,868 --> 00:26:54,128
a barn, something like that.
457
00:26:54,128 --> 00:26:57,098
Or I had a case where
the dog was in a kennel.
458
00:26:57,438 --> 00:27:00,078
I flew the area and I didn't see it.
459
00:27:00,078 --> 00:27:02,808
And then an hour after I left,
the neighbor called and said.
460
00:27:03,343 --> 00:27:04,718
Hey I see your dog.
461
00:27:04,718 --> 00:27:05,678
It's in my backyard.
462
00:27:05,678 --> 00:27:08,318
It's in the kennel with
my other dogs out back.
463
00:27:08,618 --> 00:27:12,578
But with the exception of those, it's
like a hundred percent of those, the ones
464
00:27:12,578 --> 00:27:17,288
that I don't find are outside of the area,
like where they turn up another mile or
465
00:27:17,288 --> 00:27:22,958
two away from my search grit, because
we're using the most recent sighting as
466
00:27:22,958 --> 00:27:25,208
our search grid, if that makes sense.
467
00:27:25,208 --> 00:27:29,348
So to simplify that answer
of the ones I don't find.
468
00:27:29,753 --> 00:27:33,803
They almost always turn up outside
of the area, meaning I never flew
469
00:27:33,803 --> 00:27:36,833
over top of them to begin with
because they were just runners.
470
00:27:37,193 --> 00:27:41,533
And then, the majority of them with
the exception of being under or in
471
00:27:41,533 --> 00:27:43,003
something, I've always found them.
472
00:27:43,003 --> 00:27:47,533
, When you're skilled and you know
what you're doing and you know
473
00:27:47,533 --> 00:27:51,618
how to operate the equipment
equipment it, it is pretty flawless.
474
00:27:51,618 --> 00:27:53,668
It is a really good system
when you know how to use it.
475
00:27:54,727 --> 00:27:55,687
Dixie: That makes sense.
476
00:27:55,917 --> 00:27:59,037
With the negative searches that
you're talking about, you said
477
00:27:59,067 --> 00:28:02,427
90% of the time that you're
right on those negative searches.
478
00:28:02,827 --> 00:28:04,927
And you usually will inform the owners.
479
00:28:04,927 --> 00:28:08,377
I don't think the dogs in this area,
I don't think the cat's in this area.
480
00:28:08,797 --> 00:28:12,517
What is it that leads you to
that belief to begin with?
481
00:28:13,387 --> 00:28:15,847
Joshua: I'll look at a variety of factors.
482
00:28:16,507 --> 00:28:17,407
I'll look at.
483
00:28:17,932 --> 00:28:19,582
If there were sightings.
484
00:28:20,482 --> 00:28:22,762
I'll look at the breed of the dog.
485
00:28:23,602 --> 00:28:27,232
I'll look at if there's
any disabilities, right?
486
00:28:27,262 --> 00:28:34,022
A dog that's deaf and blind really does
not go far you get like a husky?
487
00:28:34,022 --> 00:28:37,952
And they can live outside, they
like to travel, they like to roam.
488
00:28:38,222 --> 00:28:44,272
And somebody calls me for a husky two
weeks missing, and the only sighting
489
00:28:44,272 --> 00:28:46,582
was the day it was missing in the woods.
490
00:28:46,582 --> 00:28:47,542
An hour later.
491
00:28:48,292 --> 00:28:51,022
You can almost bet that Husky
is not gonna be in the area.
492
00:28:51,502 --> 00:28:52,702
You can almost guarantee it.
493
00:28:52,922 --> 00:28:55,952
It's experience honestly,
to level with you.
494
00:28:56,072 --> 00:28:57,242
Some of it's guesswork.
495
00:28:57,672 --> 00:28:59,472
Dogs are really unpredictable.
496
00:28:59,472 --> 00:29:03,642
You could take the same two dogs from
the same litter raised in the same
497
00:29:03,642 --> 00:29:07,542
house, and they both get out and they
do two entirely different things.
498
00:29:07,912 --> 00:29:07,952
But.
499
00:29:08,867 --> 00:29:14,117
I try to err on the side of
professionalism and caution because
500
00:29:14,117 --> 00:29:19,427
again, we charge for this and I don't
want my clients to think, Hey, just
501
00:29:19,427 --> 00:29:23,127
gimme your money and I'll fly my
drone and that's all I care about.
502
00:29:23,207 --> 00:29:28,937
So far I have had no complaints
with my clients because I am very
503
00:29:28,937 --> 00:29:34,187
transparent about how the process
works, what the possibilities are.
504
00:29:34,952 --> 00:29:35,612
All of that.
505
00:29:35,612 --> 00:29:39,152
And never at the end of one of my
searches has somebody said to me
506
00:29:39,152 --> 00:29:40,862
you said this and you said that.
507
00:29:40,862 --> 00:29:43,902
And it's always I'm glad we
checked and now we know what to do.
508
00:29:44,172 --> 00:29:48,102
Or, you did say, and I'm glad we
did it, and thank you for coming.
509
00:29:48,102 --> 00:29:49,662
It's always been appreciative.
510
00:29:49,662 --> 00:29:53,322
It's never been you misrepresented
what you've said to us.
511
00:29:54,220 --> 00:29:57,280
Dixie: And I could see definitely where
it gives people closure, especially when
512
00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,170
they think their animal is in one area.
513
00:29:59,170 --> 00:30:03,310
And at least you get that confirmation
of, no, it's not in this area, so you
514
00:30:03,310 --> 00:30:05,020
can focus on going somewhere else.
515
00:30:05,830 --> 00:30:10,997
Joshua: And then there's, unfortunately,
I have to bring this up so far
516
00:30:11,057 --> 00:30:14,507
again, I'm not the end all, be
all of all last lost pets 'cause
517
00:30:14,507 --> 00:30:15,857
millions go missing every year.
518
00:30:15,857 --> 00:30:17,897
But of all the cases that I've flown.
519
00:30:18,632 --> 00:30:23,162
Anytime where we have not found the
pet and we've seen a coyote, that
520
00:30:23,162 --> 00:30:24,842
dog is still missing to this day.
521
00:30:25,422 --> 00:30:27,462
That's something that is a reality.
522
00:30:28,012 --> 00:30:31,312
And it tends to always be the
small dogs the small dogs.
523
00:30:31,312 --> 00:30:34,762
During wintertime, when I get a call,
I'm always like the most concerned
524
00:30:34,762 --> 00:30:39,292
about, 'cause they're the most
susceptible to the cold and they're
525
00:30:39,292 --> 00:30:41,392
the most susceptible to coyotes.
526
00:30:42,237 --> 00:30:45,907
And so where I was going with that is
sometimes when we're flying we'll see
527
00:30:45,907 --> 00:30:49,107
coyotes and , because professionally,
I think I'm obligated, right?
528
00:30:49,107 --> 00:30:49,647
I don't like.
529
00:30:50,667 --> 00:30:55,677
Putting bad thoughts in people's heads
for funsies, but if I see a coyote
530
00:30:55,677 --> 00:30:59,037
while I'm flying, I'm gonna show the
owner, I have to show 'em, say, Hey,
531
00:30:59,037 --> 00:31:02,817
just so you know, there's two coyotes
walking around right behind your house.
532
00:31:03,037 --> 00:31:05,737
Dixie: At least it gives them some
kind of closure with knowing that.
533
00:31:06,712 --> 00:31:07,042
Joshua: Yeah.
534
00:31:07,042 --> 00:31:10,342
And that's the hardest that's one thing
you can't really train for is the look
535
00:31:10,612 --> 00:31:17,272
in somebody's eye or the tears and the
realization and sometimes , I'll say when
536
00:31:17,277 --> 00:31:21,832
I don't see a coyote, the odds of that
dog returning are actually pretty high.
537
00:31:22,472 --> 00:31:23,612
I don't track that.
538
00:31:23,612 --> 00:31:27,282
I'm not, big on being an
actuary with all the nuances.
539
00:31:27,282 --> 00:31:32,292
So most of it's on feeling, but from my
recollection, with the winter cases that
540
00:31:32,292 --> 00:31:37,042
I've flown when I don't see a coyote
and it's a little dog with the exception
541
00:31:37,042 --> 00:31:39,052
of, accidentally falling in water,
542
00:31:39,092 --> 00:31:40,892
I just had a case that the dog.
543
00:31:41,882 --> 00:31:44,502
Showed back up and it was a
little what do you call those?
544
00:31:44,532 --> 00:31:45,492
Oh gosh.
545
00:31:45,522 --> 00:31:49,862
It was a pug I think, or a
no, a Boston Terrier, I think.
546
00:31:50,162 --> 00:31:51,992
Yeah, it was a Boston Terrier.
547
00:31:53,612 --> 00:31:57,152
Thankfully we didn't see any
coyotes when we flew, and that's
548
00:31:57,152 --> 00:31:58,172
what she was worried about.
549
00:31:58,172 --> 00:31:59,762
I was certainly worried about that.
550
00:31:59,792 --> 00:32:03,602
And that dog just showed
up in under their deck.
551
00:32:03,602 --> 00:32:05,432
I think it was something like that.
552
00:32:05,532 --> 00:32:07,902
The neighbor saw it and called the owner.
553
00:32:07,902 --> 00:32:10,942
It was like across the
street, and I flew over there.
554
00:32:10,992 --> 00:32:14,562
One of the possibilities in the
wintertime is that these dogs will
555
00:32:14,562 --> 00:32:15,972
hunker down, especially the little ones.
556
00:32:15,972 --> 00:32:19,572
If they're smart, they find like a
corner to hide and some, a lot of times
557
00:32:19,572 --> 00:32:21,102
they're like along somebody's fence.
558
00:32:21,912 --> 00:32:25,742
In a, like a grassy area, with the
snow and the ice, there's not many
559
00:32:25,742 --> 00:32:30,472
good places for dogs to hide, this
one was under somebody's deck, and
560
00:32:30,472 --> 00:32:34,532
the owner heard some movement under
their deck when they let their dogs
561
00:32:34,532 --> 00:32:39,962
outside and looked underneath, and sure
enough, there was there was the dog.
562
00:32:40,938 --> 00:32:41,508
Dixie: Wow.
563
00:32:41,748 --> 00:32:41,988
Yeah.
564
00:32:42,013 --> 00:32:45,103
I can't imagine having to
have that conversation though.
565
00:32:45,503 --> 00:32:46,973
If you do see the coyotes.
566
00:32:47,673 --> 00:32:47,943
, Joshua: Yeah.
567
00:32:48,163 --> 00:32:50,053
You have to have a good bedside banner.
568
00:32:50,053 --> 00:32:51,403
You can't say, Hey, your
dog's probably dead.
569
00:32:51,403 --> 00:32:52,993
Just say, Hey, I did see this.
570
00:32:53,053 --> 00:32:57,613
So I just instill a heightened
sense of urgency to get
571
00:32:57,613 --> 00:32:59,653
flyers up and get a sighting.
572
00:32:59,653 --> 00:33:04,753
And, I tell them, Hey, let's assume
the best and let's operate with
573
00:33:05,203 --> 00:33:07,633
the assumption that you know,
your dog is still out there.
574
00:33:08,683 --> 00:33:13,333
Let's not use this as a means to
justify not continuing to look
575
00:33:13,963 --> 00:33:14,473
Dixie: right.
576
00:33:14,873 --> 00:33:18,233
I have seen situations where
people give up all hope and their
577
00:33:18,233 --> 00:33:19,763
animal does end up coming home.
578
00:33:20,433 --> 00:33:22,803
Joshua: Did you ever see the one video?
579
00:33:22,853 --> 00:33:26,108
I'm in the Facebook group with
the Lost Pet Drone Pilots.
580
00:33:27,353 --> 00:33:28,763
It went pretty viral.
581
00:33:28,793 --> 00:33:33,223
It was a dacshund, I believe that
went missing and he found it.
582
00:33:33,583 --> 00:33:39,343
And while he is guiding the parents
to the location where the coyote comes
583
00:33:39,343 --> 00:33:42,463
in, grabs it by the neck and he lowers.
584
00:33:43,093 --> 00:33:47,803
His drone down almost on top of the
coyote in order to get the coyote
585
00:33:47,803 --> 00:33:49,483
to be scared away from the dog.
586
00:33:49,483 --> 00:33:53,713
And he let the coyote let go of the
dog's neck just in the nick of time, and
587
00:33:53,713 --> 00:33:55,603
the dog actually survived the attack.
588
00:33:55,603 --> 00:33:56,443
It was incredible.
589
00:33:56,683 --> 00:33:57,403
Dixie: Wow.
590
00:33:57,463 --> 00:33:58,543
No, I didn't see that one.
591
00:33:58,543 --> 00:33:59,953
I'm gonna have to go look it up though.
592
00:33:59,953 --> 00:34:00,793
That's amazing.
593
00:34:00,853 --> 00:34:01,263
Joshua: Oh yeah.
594
00:34:01,263 --> 00:34:01,863
I'll find it.
595
00:34:01,863 --> 00:34:03,953
If you can't just message
me I'll find it for you.
596
00:34:05,483 --> 00:34:07,613
Dixie: How about some reunion stories?
597
00:34:07,613 --> 00:34:09,683
Do you have any interesting
reunion stories?
598
00:34:11,483 --> 00:34:16,583
Joshua: The first one that pops
to my mind is one of my first, it
599
00:34:16,583 --> 00:34:24,683
was like, what, within the first
10 that I did, and it was the.
600
00:34:26,092 --> 00:34:26,842
The dog.
601
00:34:26,873 --> 00:34:32,803
She was visiting her dad from college
and it was in my county, and the dog
602
00:34:32,803 --> 00:34:37,333
got lost with the retractable leash
attached and there was no sightings.
603
00:34:38,053 --> 00:34:41,713
And generally when I hear retractable
leash, you can almost guarantee that
604
00:34:41,713 --> 00:34:44,112
thing's gonna be stuck somewhere.
605
00:34:44,592 --> 00:34:47,413
Regular leashes don't get stuck often.
606
00:34:47,413 --> 00:34:50,713
They sometimes do, but it
you can almost bet on it.
607
00:34:51,233 --> 00:34:53,213
That a retractable leash
is gonna get stuck.
608
00:34:53,213 --> 00:34:54,713
So I'm searching and searching.
609
00:34:54,713 --> 00:34:57,953
I'm searching the first section
of woods behind their house and
610
00:34:57,953 --> 00:35:01,393
I'm, flying real tight and being
real careful and we didn't see it.
611
00:35:01,393 --> 00:35:05,903
We saw all the deer and animals out there
and, you can feel the sadness starting to
612
00:35:05,903 --> 00:35:07,973
sink in that, we might not find this dog.
613
00:35:08,003 --> 00:35:09,893
But again, I was just getting started.
614
00:35:09,893 --> 00:35:13,703
We just cleared that first section
of Woods behind their house, and
615
00:35:13,703 --> 00:35:16,163
so I moved across the street.
616
00:35:17,728 --> 00:35:19,618
And I moved in that direction.
617
00:35:19,648 --> 00:35:22,888
'cause again, I ask a lot of questions
in the beginning when I do these
618
00:35:22,888 --> 00:35:25,468
cases, a lot of re recon, so to speak.
619
00:35:25,468 --> 00:35:28,138
What direction did you
see them run, right?
620
00:35:28,188 --> 00:35:29,118
Let's talk about that.
621
00:35:29,118 --> 00:35:32,508
Does your dog like the
woods or not like the woods?
622
00:35:32,558 --> 00:35:33,638
Those types of things.
623
00:35:33,638 --> 00:35:36,338
And I think she answered my question.
624
00:35:36,338 --> 00:35:40,118
So I decided to move across
the street and there she was.
625
00:35:40,523 --> 00:35:45,833
That dog was stuck on a fallen tree.
626
00:35:46,133 --> 00:35:50,483
And the owner, 'cause
we're at the dad's house.
627
00:35:50,513 --> 00:35:54,443
She was actually inside
the house when I found her.
628
00:35:54,473 --> 00:35:56,213
'cause she went in to get a
drink of water or something?
629
00:35:56,213 --> 00:35:56,693
Actually, no.
630
00:35:56,693 --> 00:35:57,923
She went in to get me coffee.
631
00:35:58,283 --> 00:36:00,473
I remember now and I run in their house.
632
00:36:01,193 --> 00:36:05,973
And, I bring her outside and I show her
the monitor and she's just all tears.
633
00:36:06,033 --> 00:36:09,363
And it was super emotional.
634
00:36:09,363 --> 00:36:14,283
There was one where I found an
African gray parrot that was lost..
635
00:36:14,383 --> 00:36:15,643
I do get bragging rights.
636
00:36:15,643 --> 00:36:21,833
I was the first person I believe in the
world to find a lost bird with the thermal
637
00:36:21,833 --> 00:36:26,633
drone at least in the country for sure
the girl called me and African great
638
00:36:26,633 --> 00:36:28,403
parrots are apparently very expensive.
639
00:36:29,693 --> 00:36:34,733
And she calls me because somebody
referred her to me, as most people are.
640
00:36:35,243 --> 00:36:35,723
And.
641
00:36:36,833 --> 00:36:39,463
I explained to her, I was really
honest with, I said, listen, I've
642
00:36:39,463 --> 00:36:41,533
never searched for a lost bird before.
643
00:36:41,533 --> 00:36:42,973
Will it see a bird?
644
00:36:43,063 --> 00:36:48,393
Yes, but understand, your bird could be on
a rooftop, on a wire on the ground, in a
645
00:36:48,393 --> 00:36:52,053
tree at the edge of the tree by the trunk
of the tree all the way in the middle
646
00:36:52,053 --> 00:36:54,963
of the tree or 10 miles away already.
647
00:36:54,963 --> 00:36:55,923
Like we don't know.
648
00:36:56,553 --> 00:36:57,873
She said, yes, I know.
649
00:36:58,113 --> 00:37:00,573
I appreciate all of your
honesty, but literally you're
650
00:37:00,603 --> 00:37:02,643
all I've got you are all I have.
651
00:37:03,003 --> 00:37:04,833
You're my you're my last dish effort.
652
00:37:04,863 --> 00:37:06,993
I said, yeah, this is a
bit of a hail Mary pass.
653
00:37:07,413 --> 00:37:11,943
Again, I asked a lot of questions
where she saw the bird fly off and
654
00:37:11,943 --> 00:37:18,363
what direction, and when I came
over to her house, I was simply.
655
00:37:19,133 --> 00:37:20,273
Circling trees.
656
00:37:20,273 --> 00:37:23,483
I went tree after tree and just
started circling the trees,
657
00:37:23,483 --> 00:37:25,133
looking for heat signatures.
658
00:37:25,133 --> 00:37:28,973
And a lot of times the heat signatures
you see in trees are squirrels, right?
659
00:37:28,973 --> 00:37:30,773
So there's a lot of like false positives.
660
00:37:30,773 --> 00:37:34,223
We see something in the tree on
the thermal camera and we switch to
661
00:37:34,223 --> 00:37:36,353
the RGB camera and it's a squirrel.
662
00:37:36,353 --> 00:37:39,573
And your heart rate goes up for a
second, and then there's a let down and.
663
00:37:40,863 --> 00:37:45,103
Finally we looked at this one and we zoom
in and we see the red, 'cause the African
664
00:37:45,103 --> 00:37:47,473
gray parrots have like red on their tails.
665
00:37:47,473 --> 00:37:52,663
And so we see the gray and we see the
red and she loses her mind, or her
666
00:37:52,663 --> 00:37:54,433
husband's trying to calm her down.
667
00:37:54,433 --> 00:37:58,363
And we had to actually call in the
fire department with a ladder truck to
668
00:37:58,363 --> 00:38:00,283
climb up the tree to get the bird down.
669
00:38:01,333 --> 00:38:04,123
So I filmed all of that and
that was a nice story too.
670
00:38:04,173 --> 00:38:07,713
It's a good, departure from
your average lost dog case.
671
00:38:07,933 --> 00:38:12,733
And then for like present day with
all the ice that we had up here,
672
00:38:13,363 --> 00:38:15,673
there was a dog that was missing.
673
00:38:16,253 --> 00:38:20,543
I went out that night, so they,
the dog went missing at 4:00 PM.
674
00:38:20,963 --> 00:38:26,123
I was out there, they called me when
I was laying down for bed actually.
675
00:38:26,123 --> 00:38:30,383
I had just laid down and I got a text
message and I started chatting with
676
00:38:30,383 --> 00:38:33,683
them and got some details of the case.
677
00:38:34,193 --> 00:38:42,453
And this area that this dog is lost
in is the same area where just a few
678
00:38:42,453 --> 00:38:46,743
weeks earlier, there was a dog that
lives on the same type of train.
679
00:38:46,743 --> 00:38:47,618
We're talking like homes.
680
00:38:48,948 --> 00:38:54,478
On the Chesapeake, basically that are
right on the water, where at the edge
681
00:38:54,478 --> 00:38:55,793
of their house is a very steep hill.
682
00:38:57,188 --> 00:39:00,728
Like two steps away from the house
and you're going down the hill.
683
00:39:01,478 --> 00:39:06,728
And that dog Lila was fresh on my mind
because Lila went down the hill and went
684
00:39:06,728 --> 00:39:12,638
into the water and I was at least able
to find Lila to give the family closure
685
00:39:12,648 --> 00:39:14,043
. But that was fresh on my mind.
686
00:39:15,258 --> 00:39:19,678
So I don't think I mentioned that
to them, but I knew the urgency
687
00:39:19,678 --> 00:39:21,628
of the situation and that terrain.
688
00:39:21,628 --> 00:39:26,038
So I I got there I think at 1:00
AM 1230, something like that.
689
00:39:26,088 --> 00:39:31,488
They were down in Anne Arundel
County and we found their dogs still
690
00:39:31,488 --> 00:39:34,758
alive at the very top of a hill.
691
00:39:35,793 --> 00:39:39,453
Sandwich between the ledge, right?
692
00:39:39,503 --> 00:39:41,243
Two steps in the wrong direction.
693
00:39:41,243 --> 00:39:44,183
It's going down the hill into
the water and like a retaining
694
00:39:44,183 --> 00:39:45,803
wall, and he was stuck.
695
00:39:46,103 --> 00:39:48,773
The dog's name was happy,
by the way, cute name.
696
00:39:49,493 --> 00:39:58,073
And this rescue was very dangerous because
the dog knew that it couldn't walk.
697
00:39:58,463 --> 00:39:59,633
To get out of the area.
698
00:39:59,633 --> 00:40:00,233
It was stuck.
699
00:40:00,233 --> 00:40:03,443
It couldn't go down the hill 'cause
it knew it would slide and trying to
700
00:40:03,443 --> 00:40:09,743
walk behind itself in that direction or
ahead in the direction it was facing.
701
00:40:09,743 --> 00:40:11,903
It didn't feel safe to do that.
702
00:40:12,233 --> 00:40:17,903
So dad literally had to basically
cliff hang off of this retaining wall
703
00:40:17,963 --> 00:40:20,933
and he had a very small foot pad.
704
00:40:21,938 --> 00:40:26,258
For his feet, where it was like maybe
like a foot and a half wide, or he
705
00:40:26,258 --> 00:40:28,208
would himself slide down the hill.
706
00:40:28,808 --> 00:40:30,488
And that was interesting.
707
00:40:30,543 --> 00:40:32,073
I fell on my butt in that rescue.
708
00:40:32,073 --> 00:40:35,463
I slipped and fell in the
yard, landed on my keer.
709
00:40:35,673 --> 00:40:37,173
But yeah, we got that one back.
710
00:40:37,173 --> 00:40:39,543
They were absolutely
tickled pink at that one.
711
00:40:39,543 --> 00:40:40,713
That was another great one.
712
00:40:40,803 --> 00:40:45,803
And I've saved people's Thanksgivings
and Christmases and marriages.
713
00:40:46,478 --> 00:40:49,358
The one guy when we found the dog,
he's man, you saved my marriage.
714
00:40:50,238 --> 00:40:52,108
What he said to me,
that was a funny story.
715
00:40:52,358 --> 00:40:55,538
Yeah, people have called me like
the day before Thanksgiving or the
716
00:40:55,638 --> 00:40:58,158
Christmas Eve, those types of cases.
717
00:40:58,208 --> 00:41:00,488
There's lots of stories, but
those are some of my favorites.
718
00:41:01,608 --> 00:41:05,628
Dixie: You just said you were going to
bed, you got this call, you went out
719
00:41:05,628 --> 00:41:08,598
and you basically rescued this dog.
720
00:41:09,078 --> 00:41:09,768
So Yes.
721
00:41:09,928 --> 00:41:13,048
Imagine that you don't
operate on appointments.
722
00:41:13,048 --> 00:41:14,758
Is it just like you get
a call and you just go.
723
00:41:16,048 --> 00:41:16,528
Joshua: Yeah.
724
00:41:16,528 --> 00:41:20,248
Or you're in a queue because I'll
be on a call and then somebody
725
00:41:20,248 --> 00:41:23,338
else will call, and then I have to
say, Hey, I'm already on a case.
726
00:41:23,638 --> 00:41:26,848
So in that regard, it becomes
an appointment at that.
727
00:41:26,938 --> 00:41:30,788
But yes, the large, by
and large, I am on call.
728
00:41:30,918 --> 00:41:31,608
As you speak.
729
00:41:31,608 --> 00:41:35,238
Somebody calls me and I'm not
already preoccupied with something,
730
00:41:35,808 --> 00:41:38,208
I'll go out and help them search.
731
00:41:39,578 --> 00:41:43,298
Dixie: Before we go, I would like to
know where can we find out more about
732
00:41:43,298 --> 00:41:47,798
your company, precision Drone Services,
and where can we go watch your videos?
733
00:41:49,188 --> 00:41:53,448
Joshua: You can find me mostly on
Facebook Precision Drone Services.
734
00:41:54,493 --> 00:41:57,013
I'm on YouTube, I'm on TikTok.
735
00:41:57,283 --> 00:42:02,053
I put stuff up there occasionally, but
most of my stuff goes up on Facebook.
736
00:42:02,053 --> 00:42:05,923
So if you just search for Precision
Drone Services, lost Pet Search
737
00:42:05,923 --> 00:42:07,663
and Rescue, I should pop up there.
738
00:42:08,580 --> 00:42:08,910
, Dixie: Great.
739
00:42:08,910 --> 00:42:12,180
And I'll include that in the
description, show notes too so
740
00:42:12,180 --> 00:42:13,410
people know where to find you.
741
00:42:13,490 --> 00:42:16,670
And I'm looking forward to going
and looking at some of your videos
742
00:42:16,700 --> 00:42:18,710
'cause these sound pretty exciting.
743
00:42:19,790 --> 00:42:20,210
Joshua: Yeah.
744
00:42:20,330 --> 00:42:20,510
Yeah.
745
00:42:20,510 --> 00:42:24,180
They're rewarding to they're a lot
different than deer when you're
746
00:42:24,180 --> 00:42:25,470
dealing with somebody's loved one.
747
00:42:26,207 --> 00:42:27,287
Dixie: Thank you so much.
748
00:42:27,287 --> 00:42:28,967
I appreciated speaking with you.
749
00:42:30,167 --> 00:42:31,637
Joshua: Yeah, thank you very much.
750
00:42:31,697 --> 00:42:33,167
Dixie: That's it for today's episode.
751
00:42:33,167 --> 00:42:37,067
I wanna thank everybody for
listening and supporting us.
752
00:42:37,157 --> 00:42:41,267
If you wanna take that an extra
step, consider becoming a member.
753
00:42:41,507 --> 00:42:45,707
We just added this to our
website, animalposse.com,
754
00:42:45,947 --> 00:42:48,017
scroll down, look for the support tab.
755
00:42:48,067 --> 00:42:54,397
Our membership program is going to
help us directly support animals
756
00:42:54,427 --> 00:43:01,627
in need, whether that be through
vaccinations, food or spay neuter efforts.
