Drone pilot's ‘harrowing' rescue saves lost pup just in time as coyote attacks
After their beloved little dog Whiskey managed to get out of their backyard, Jordan and Brooke Allen did everything they could think of to track him down, KARK reported.
'We had posted a lot of posts on Facebook about him being missing, and somebody posted saying try to get in touch with somebody with a drone,' Brooke told the outlet.
That's when they went to Natural State Drone Solutions in Russellville and drone pilot Chris Laughlin.
'They called me up and they sound pretty desperate,' Laughlin said to KARK.
That's when the long search from the sky began. And it ended with a bizarre and dramatic save when the dog was attacked by a coyote under the surveillance of the company's drone.
'Harrowing last second rescue of a dachshund that had been missing for 4 days. The pup is fine and will be checked out with the vet as a precaution,' the company said in a July 15 Facebook post. It posted the 11-minute drone footage on its page.
Warning: Video shows dog attack, which might be triggering.
'Found this pup at the exact right time. Right as I found it, a coyote snagged it. I dove down and hit the coyote with the prop wash and it dropped it. I hovered about 10 feet over it to protect it,' the pilot said.
The attack was videoed by the drone — from Whiskey moving through the greenery, to him being plucked up by his owners.
'It caught its breath as the side by side got there and ran from the side by side,' the post described. 'The owners caught up to him and brought him to safety. If I hadn't found him, that coyote would have had him for good. It was hunting him. The family is so happy to have their pup home!'
Russellville is about a 75-mile drive northwest from Little Rock.
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