Meet the pet detective who has used a thermal imaging drone to help find and reunite 330 lost dogs with their owners for free.
She says that the happiness she feels when an animal owner and their pet are reunited is enough payment for her work.
She is 44 years old, and in April 2018 her father gave her her first drone as a gift.
After practicing with it, Erica’s dad told her that a dog was lost in the area and asked her to help find it with her drone.
The dog was a schnauzer that got lost while out for a walk, and Erica called the owner and went outside to help him find it.
She said it “snowballed” from there after word got out. Since then, she has used her drone to save 330 dogs. Some of the dogs she’s found she’s even kept. From Scotland to Somerset in the UK, Erica is the first person called for missions like this in the whole country.
Erica said, “I don’t just help find dogs. I’ve also found cats, emus, cows, and helped mountain rescue find missing people.” “Being kind makes me want to help.”
“I do everything because I love dogs.” Imagine seeing your mom all of a sudden after not seeing her for 10 years. That’s how it feels.
She said that since she started, she’s probably gone through 30 drones. She also said that the people she works with are the most important part of her job.
“Big, six-foot men have broken down in tears; it’s worth a lot to see their faces,” she says. “Some people can’t have kids, so they get a dog. Dogs help some people feel better.”
Erica is on call seven days a week, and she was out looking on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. And Erica said that the length of the rescue depends on whether the animal that went missing goes into “fight or flight” mode. The longest rescue she has been a part of lasted 12 days.
WATCH the interview below…