A beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog in Illinois was rescued after a week in the cold after a drone discovered the missing pet.
Charlie was taken for a walk in Crystal Lake by his owners, Kate Belmonte and her fiancé David Nowak, on the morning of December 30.
The couple searched for the two-year-old dog for days and enlisted the help of a local search and rescue group.
The group, Dog Gone Pet Recovery, used a thermal drone to scan the family’s neighborhood before the dog was spotted.
‘Oh my god! Yes, we have it! We’ve got him!’ you can hear one of the rescuers screaming.
The drone found Charlie just a two-minute walk from home, hiding in tall grass.
‘He was in some kind of park walkway, between tall grass and broken trees. And he hid there,” Belmonte said ABC6.
Charlie was found with a broken femur and underwent surgery after being reunited with his owners.
Two-year-old Charlie went missing for a week after being left outside in Crystal Lake, Illinois
A local search and rescue group used a thermal drone to scan the family’s neighborhood before the dog was miraculously spotted
“It’s just incredible technology, and without this, to be honest, I don’t know if we would have found it without this,” said owner David Nowak, along with fiancée Kate Belmonte.
Charlie was found with a broken femur and underwent surgery after being reunited with his owners
“It’s just incredible technology, and without this, to be honest, I don’t know if we would have found it without this,” Nowak explained.
Belmonte said in a Facebook post that the pup’s surgery went well and he was on his way home for some much-needed rest.
‘David and I have been completely blown away by the support from the community we live in… You are all such incredible people!!’ she wrote.
‘If only Charlie knew how he became the celebrity of the neighborhood… We can finally sleep in peace. It was an absolute nightmare for seven days.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched for Charlie and his family to help with the dog’s recovery.
‘I appreciate all the help and support from everyone! We are completely blown away. I know Charlie is thanking everyone too!’ Belmonte added.