North Country drone pilot saves missing dogs with new rescue service
MALONE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A retired New York State Police investigator is on a mission to find lost pets with his new drone rescue business.
On February 10, an 8-month-old Merle Great Dane named Zeus took off from his home in Lisbon. His owner, Tori Peck, was out of town when she got the news. Peck quickly posted the Great Dane's photo on Facebook, urging friends and neighbors to look out for her beloved "Zeuser."
"I was absolutely heartbroken,” Peck said. “Nobody had seen him. It was like he had vanished into thin air."
Peck considers her three dogs "like children," and Zeus is the baby. That's why Peck and her fiancé, Dustin Streeter, searched all night for the missing pup, scouring row after row of houses in their community.
With no luck in their search, Facebook friends recommended that Peck contact the owner of North Country Drone Search and Recovery. Drone pilot Chad Tavernia established the animal rescue service after retiring as a New York State Police investigator.
Since his first mission brought home "Otis" the Vizsla in January, Tavernia has garnered attention on his North Country Drone Search and Recovery Facebook page with over 18,000 followers and counting.
"Anybody who's ever owned pets, myself included, understands the connection you have with a family pet," Tavernia said.
In just a few short months, word of mouth has spread about his success rate in finding missing pets in the North Country and beyond.
“You know some of these dogs have been in pretty precarious situations," Tavernia said. "And without the drone spotting them, who knows what would have happened.”
Tavernia is an F-A-A certified Drone Pilot. He flies weatherproof commercial drones with significant zoom capabilities and thermal imaging technology for his missions.
“So from 400 feet in the air, I literally can Zoom in on the ground, and I can tell you, pretty much, what any animal is," Tavernia said.
The thermal camera on the drone is how he spots pets in rugged terrain or from long distances.
“An animal, which is going to run around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, is obviously going to glow a much whiter than a 42-degree patch of ground," Tavernia explained.
That technique is exactly how he located Zeus in 20 minutes. Drone footage shows how Tavernia pin-pointed the Great Dane, who appeared frantic in the woods in Lisbon.
"[Zeus] got out of the truck and just knocked me right over," Peck said about the reunion. “I was crying. I was just so happy,"
Peck said she couldn’t have been more grateful for Chad's expertise.
“Without him, we would have never found Zeus. He probably would have died in the woods," Peck said. "He could see the stress and anxiety on our faces, and he was just calm, cool, and collected."
Tavernia is matter-of-fact about his success. His penchant for helping others and staying even-keeled is just a part of who he is after 20 years in law enforcement.
“It really is just second nature at this point," Tavernia said. "My only goal is just to continue to, hopefully, be able to find people’s pets."