Lost Dog Found by Drone After 9 Days in New Jersey

A frozen marsh, a missing dog, and a ticking snowstorm clock sound like the start of a bad winter story, but in New Jersey it ended with a quiet win for drones, thermal cameras, and one very relieved family. NBC New York bring us this story.

Nine Days Lost in the Cold

Samira Gross was running out of time. Her three year old dog Dakota disappeared after chasing another animal inside Johnson Park, a nearly 500 acre stretch of woods, water, and thick reeds that can swallow sound and footprints fast.

For nine long days, Gross and her family searched with no success, while temperatures dropped and a snowstorm loomed. They have to act fast.

The emotional weight was heavy. Not knowing if Dakota was alive, injured, or freezing somewhere in the park made every hour feel urgent. With cold weather closing in, Gross decided to try something different and called a drone company that specializes in lost pet recovery.

A Thermal Signal in a Marsh

Apex Eagle Drone Services arrived with serious equipment, the DJI Matrice 30T. This is not a hobby drone you fly for fun on a Sunday afternoon. The Matrice 30T is an enterprise level platform built for search and rescue, inspections, and operations where failure is not an option.

Using its FLIR thermal camera, the pilot scanned the park from above, sweeping over water, mud, and reeds that were nearly ten feet high. Then it appeared. A single heat signature, tucked inside a marsh next to a small pond. That heat was Dakota.

Finding her was only step one. Getting to her was the real challenge. Visibility on the ground was almost zero, and the terrain was thick with mud and reeds. A friend of the family pushed through anyway, guided step by step by the pilot watching the thermal feed live. The drone became the rescuer’s eyes, directing every move until Dakota was reached and carried out.

Timing mattered. Just days later, that same area was covered with eight inches of snow.

Why the DJI Matrice 30T Made the Difference

The Matrice 30T is designed for moments exactly like this. Its thermal camera can spot heat signatures invisible to the naked eye, even through vegetation. The drone also carries a 4K HDR camera with zoom, a wide angle camera, and a laser rangefinder, giving pilots multiple ways to confirm what they are seeing from the air.

Its compact, foldable design makes it quick to deploy, and the IP55 weather rating allows it to fly in cold, wet, and dusty conditions. With up to 41 minutes of flight time and obstacle avoidance sensors on all sides, the drone can safely search large areas without rushing.

After the rescue, Dakota was taken straight to the veterinarian. She had lost weight, needed IV fluids, and had some scrapes, but she was alive, alert, and wagging her tail nonstop. The drone service cost $350, a small number compared to the outcome.

DroneXL’s Take.

This story is a perfect example of why thermal drones matter beyond headlines and hype. The DJI Matrice 30T was not used for spectacle or surveillance, it was used to find a warm, breathing life hidden in a cold, unforgiving place.

As drones like this become more common, lost pets, missing people, and time sensitive rescues are no longer just about manpower and luck. Sometimes, all it takes is the right sensor in the sky, flying at exactly the right moment.

Photo credit: Apex Eagle Drone Services