CLERMONT COUNTY — It's like AAA for pets.
That's the idea behind a new nonprofit using drones.
They apply the same principles to saving human lives and rescuing lost pets.
According to WCPO's news partners, the organization was founded by professional firefighters who make a living flying large drones.
It's like the old adage: a firefighter saves a cat from a tree.
“They're looking for hope that they can find their pet,” said FidoTracker founder Todd May.
In this case, firefighters use high-tech tools to scan more than a half-mile of terrain at any given time.
“We started doing dog rescue work on the side,” May said. “Human lives would take us away from dog rescue. So we wanted to find a way to enhance dog rescue efforts.”
May started the organization in 2021.
“Drone operators typically arrive on scene within 60 minutes,” he said.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the success rate was about 70 per cent.
“If we see any signs of heat, we zoom in on it to make sure it's the dog we're looking for,” he said.
Stephanie Dawes experienced this firsthand.
It was lost at Caesar Creek State Park in late 2022, hours before freezing temperatures arrived.
“I thought there was no way they would survive the night,” Dawes said.
A Facebook plea led to Todd's intervention.
“He called me at 3 a.m. and was like, 'Hey, we have equipment.' They were in this bush area, so you couldn't see them without the drone. “Yes,” Dawes said.
The service costs $8 a month, but the majority of pilots are volunteers.
“Public safety should be free, right? But that's very difficult because we have a lot of bills as a nonprofit,” May said.
The company serves Greene County and other parts of southern Ohio, but May would like to expand.
“Every dog owner is different,” May says. “Some of them give me a pat on the back, some don't. It's just tears of joy.”
