Puppy That Went Missing in Adirondacks Found Alive Thanks to Thermal-Imaging Drone

A 4-month-old German Shepherd is now happily resting at home after vanishing in the Adirondacks for several days.

With all the negative headlines out there as of late, let's focus on a heartwarming story right out of Central New York.

North Country Search and Rescue... to the Rescue

A dog owner's worst nightmare is losing their best friend. For a man named Ryan, his faithful pet went missing while the two were out in the Adirondack wilderness.

Max, his four-month old German Shepherd, was not coming when called and no matter how far Ryan searched, he couldn't find a single trace.

Three days into the nightmare, his hope of being reunited with Max was dwindling and he began to worry that his buddy was never coming home. That was until he learned of a unique team from Malone that had the tools needed to conduct a thorough search of the stretch of woods.

Read More: Does NY Legally Recognize Your Dog as a Family Member?

Ryan contacted Chad Tavernia of North Country Search and Rescue and learned they had a state-of-the-art drone that was equipped with thermal imaging. Armed with a tool that could search for lost animals by sensing their body heat, the journey to bring Max home began again.

Tavernia, who is a retired state trooper, said the drone searched for roughly 45 minutes before coming across potential evidence that would lead to Max. He flew the drone over the spot once more for a better look.

Tavernia had found Max. And he was alive!

A Happy Reunion

Tavernia called Ryan over to look at the screen and confirm if they had, indeed, found little Max. That's when the dog picked up its head and Ryan knew he was looking at his best friend.

Tavernia wrote on Facebook:

I located a heat signature of interest, but due to RC interference from power lines I decided to re-position my takeoff/landing area to a adjacent seasonal use roadway that paralleled the spot because I was unable to switch to my color zoom camera due to the interference... After a few short minutes of additional searching, Maverick [the drone] located Max curled up, bedded at the base of some trees in a very dense area of the forest...

Tavernia supplied directions to Max's whereabouts and Ryan took off, using his phone's GPS to navigate the miles of woods to where his pet was patiently waiting for him.

Tavernia watched the reunion from above and wrote, "I could tell was incredibly happy to see his owner as he leaped into his arms... Man it sure does feel great to reunite Ryan & Max."

You can watch the tender moment in the video below:

Max is probably very thankful to be home.

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