Drone used to find missing puppy on Roundway Hill near Devizes

A puppy has been rescued after being missing for four hours in the countryside.

Poppy, the nine-month-old chihuahua, had been spooked in a freak accident at Roundway Hill near Devizes, Wiltshire on 3 January and disappeared.

A drone was flown into the air to scour the surroundings, and after a search volunteers who had gathered on the hill were able to locate the small dog in some nearby long grass.

Annie Sheppard, Poppy’s owner, said the rescue was made possible thanks to the “amazing teams who gave their time, expertise, dedication and calmness when I was struggling to keep it together”.

Poppy had gone missing in the afternoon and initial concerns stemmed around how the looming darkness and drop in temperature could impact the puppy.

Posts on social media helped spread the word and bring volunteers to Roundway Hill.

Jess Scull and Matthew Pinches from RSPCA Wiltshire Mid branch teamed up with Amanda Wood-Wooley and Andrew Wilcox from Drone SAR for Lost Dogs and Search and Scan to launch a drone and find Poppy.

Both are free services helping to locate and reunite lost dogs with their owners.

DroneSAR works across the UK, using a database of more than 7,000 volunteer drone pilots, ground searchers, sniffer dogs and trap operators.

Scull said: “We were concerned about losing the light, but we all worked together and between the drone from Drone SAR for Lost Dogs and the ground support from Search and Scan, we found out which field she was in and managed to keep eyes on her.”

Poppy’s small figure was seen on the drone and Sheppard was directed closer to her pet by volunteer rescuers.

Scull said: “Because we all worked together and listened to each other, that dog was able to be reunited quicker than most.”

Poppy is now at home with her beagle brother Buzz and will have a tracker attached to her collar as an extra layer of security in the future.

Sheppard added: “Overall, the kindness, knowledge, equipment and fantastic teamwork from these guys made such a difference to the search and the success in finding her and I will never forget it.

“It truly reminded me how incredible people can be when it matters most.”