A nine-month-old puppy has been reunited with her owner after going missing for four hours in countryside near Devizes.
Poppy, a chihuahua, disappeared at Roundway Hill in Wiltshire on 3 January after being spooked in what was described as a freak accident. Concerns quickly grew as daylight began to fade and temperatures were expected to drop.
Volunteers gathered on the hill to help search the area, with social media posts spreading the word and bringing additional support. A drone was deployed to scan the surrounding countryside as efforts continued on the ground.
The drone search was carried out by volunteers working with RSPCA Wiltshire Mid Branch and Drone SAR for Lost Dogs, alongside Search and Scan. The free services work to locate missing dogs and reunite them with their owners, using both aerial and ground-based search methods.
Poppy was eventually spotted by the drone in long grass in a nearby field. Her owner, Annie Sheppard, was directed closer to her location by the volunteer teams, allowing the puppy to be safely recovered.
Jess Scull, from RSPCA Wiltshire Mid Branch, said the teams had been racing against the loss of daylight. She 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.”
She added: “Because we all worked together and listened to each other, that dog was able to be reunited quicker than most.”
Poppy is now back at home recovering with her beagle brother Buzz. Her owner said a tracker will be attached to her collar in future as an added precaution.
Ms Sheppard 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.”
She 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.”
