Ohio Drone Pilot Rescues Missing 15-Year-Old Dog

When Pumpkin, a 15-year-old Portuguese water dog, vanished from a lakefront home in Ohio, her family feared the worst. After 27 agonizing hours, with the elderly, deaf dog lost somewhere along the rocky Lake Erie shoreline, hope was fading, as WKBN reported. Then, they called in a drone pilot. In a story that perfectly captures the incredible power of thermal drone technology, a local drone operator named Craig Fazenbaker used his eye in the sky to locate the missing dog, then climbed down a treacherous 70-foot embankment in the dark to bring her home.

A Desperate Search in the Dark

Pumpkin had been missing since Saturday night. Her owner, Sonja Jarmoszuk, and a group of volunteers had searched tirelessly, but the rugged terrain made it nearly impossible. The situation was grim for a senior dog with mobility issues.

On Sunday night, a friend recommended they call Craig Fazenbaker of Grunt Deer Recovery LLC, a Geneva-based company that specializes in using thermal drones to find lost animals. Fazenbaker, a former Marine, immediately drove to the scene in Rocky River. “I had a gut feeling she was there,” he later posted on Facebook. He launched his drone into the pitch-black night and began scanning a steep, vine-choked embankment behind the house. His first sweep came up empty.

The Hotspot on the Screen

Undeterred, Fazenbaker made a crucial technical adjustment. He switched the thermal color palette on his drone’s display, which can sometimes help a heat signature stand out better against different backgrounds. He dropped the drone’s altitude to 150 feet for a closer look. And then, boom. A clear hotspot appeared on his screen.

“I got her, right out back!” he shouted to the family. He used the drone’s powerful zoom camera to confirm it was Pumpkin, trapped near a dock at the bottom of the steep cliff. The terrain was too dangerous for the owner to attempt a rescue, so Fazenbaker took matters into his own hands. He navigated a rotted staircase and tangled vines to reach the scared dog.

“I picked her up, she sniffed my beard, gave me a lick, and her tail started wagging,” he told reporters. After a grueling 20-minute climb back to the top, Pumpkin was reunited with her overjoyed family.

The Right Tech, and the Right Pilot

This rescue is a testament to both the technology and the pilot. The drone, a DJI Matrice, is a powerhouse. Its thermal camera can see heat in total darkness, and its powerful zoom can confirm a target from a safe distance.

But the technology is only half the story. It was Fazenbaker’s experience as a pilot—his gut feeling, his decision to switch the thermal palette, and his persistence—that ultimately found the dog. And it was his courage and physical determination as a former Marine that completed the rescue. This was the 15th successful animal recovery for his company in less than a year, a stunning track record.

DroneXL’s Take

It’s stories like this that cut right to the heart of why we do what we do. This is the drone at its absolute best: a tool of hope, a high-tech search party, and in this case, a furry friend’s guardian angel.

“Real talk,” this was an incredibly difficult and high-stakes mission. Flying a drone at night, over a body of water, and next to a steep, vine-covered cliff is a recipe for disaster for an inexperienced pilot. Craig Fazenbaker is a true professional, and his skill as an operator is what made this happy ending possible. His decision to physically go down that embankment and rescue the dog himself is just pure heroism.

This is the kind of story that changes public perception. It’s a powerful, positive, and deeply emotional example of what this technology can do in the right hands. For every negative headline, there are heroes like Craig Fazenbaker out there, quietly using their drones to reunite families.

It’s an incredible reminder that behind every successful drone mission, there is a skilled and passionate pilot. The technology is amazing, but it’s the human heart and expertise behind the controller that truly makes the magic happen. My hat is off to you, Craig. You’ve made the entire drone community proud.

Photo credit: Grunt Deer Recovery Facebook