Missing pets: Heat-seeking drone finds lost puppies huddled under tree

Heart-warming drone footage has captured the moment two missing puppies were found huddling together under a tree.

Drone pilot John Watton was alerted to the missing cocker spaniels, which slipped their leads on Sunday (31 March) afternoon. Their distraught owner had been searching for her beloved pets for six hours but to no avail. She sent John a Facebook message, along with the dogs' last location in the Warwickshire countryside.

Mr Watton, 50, sent his drone up and used thermal imaging technology to track the pups down. Just 15 minutes later, the heat-seeking technology picked the dogs up and they were spotted huddling together beneath a tree.

He passed on the details to their owner and kept the drone hovering overhead to keep track of the pups if they bolted off again. Another clip showed their relieved owner bounding across the field to be reunited with her missing pets.

Mr Watton told SWNS: “A local dog owner messaged me asking for drone assistance on Sunday. Her puppies had both been missing for approximately six hours and it was getting dark.

“I headed over and within 15 minutes the drone located both dogs sat hiding away underneath trees together,” he continued. “The owner and her friend were with me and I showed them on the map and screen exactly where they were. The drone kept an eye on things while they both followed the drone and located the two pups.”

He said it was “incredible” how fast a search could now be carried out, thanks to drone’s thermal imaging capabilities. “I’m relieved it was a happy ending.”