Dog Saved from Drowning After a Drone Is Used to Dangle Sausage for the Pet as a 'Last Resort'

Denmead Drone Search & Rescue

The Denmead Drone Search and Rescue team saved a Jack Russell Terrier named Millie from drowning by attaching a sausage to a drone as a "last resort" when other efforts to rescue the stuck dog failed.

Millie evaded police officers, firefighters, coastguards, and others who tried to save her from the rising tides coming into the mudflats of Hampshire, England, before the savory rescue. The pet ended up in the dangerous position after she slipped off her leash four days prior, according to The Guardian.

Chris Taylor, the chair of the Denmead Drone Search and Rescue team, told the outlet that "it was a crazy idea" to dangle the meat from a drone.

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Denmead Drone Search & Rescue

"One of the local residents on the beach where we were flying from supplied us with the sausages," Taylor said. "The woman cooked them up for us, and we attached them with string."

"If we hadn't had got her away from that area, the tide would have come in, and she would have been at risk of drowning," he added. "It was something we had never tried before — the sausages were the last resort, as we couldn't reach her by kayak or any other means."

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Their unique plan ultimately saved Millie and allowed her to be reunited with her owner Emma Oakes.

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Denmead Drone Search & Rescue

"Relief just poured over me. It was just absolutely fantastic to have her home," Oakes told The Guardian of reuniting with her beloved pet.

"Millie really likes food, and she'll eat anything you give her…raw carrots, cucumber — but she much prefers sausages," she added. "Meat is her favorite food, so dangling a sausage was probably the best thing they could lure her with."

Taylor believes that the technique could be used for future animal rescues in the area.

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"We certainly would consider using sausages again: every dog and search operation is always going to be different," he explained. "But if we were ever in a similar situation again, we would employ the same methods to lure the dog."