THUNDER BAY — With no luck after five days of old-fashioned searching, a local videographer swooped in with his drone to help find a missing dog.
Nolan Dennhardt found 7-year-old golden lab Honey — and believes he can find more in life, by helping others.
“I received a message saying that someone had lost their dog. I actually just got my own puppy right that day and so, I was 'all hands on deck" said Dennhardt.
"It was day-five that the dog was out there. It was pretty amazing that with the help of that drone, that little bit of a perspective shift changed everything for that dog and her owner,” he said.
The dog's owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said he "searched high and low for five days" trying to find Honey.
He then contacted Dennhardt, who used the drone to help locate the missing dog near Highway 588, and the owner says he was "totally ecstatic" when he walked up and saw Honey with his own eyes.
For his part, Dennhardt said finding the dog felt like winning the lottery.
Dennhardt said he'd been feeling a little lost himself lately, "then this came up and I thought it was such a great opportunity to find meaning. This is something bigger that I can get involved with.”
After a video of Honey's rescue was posted on YouTube, Dennhardt received another call. This time about an injured owl.
“It's interesting cause one thing led into another. The video online, it's been getting shared around and people are really enjoying it and they like the sentiment of it. I actually received a call that there's an owl. I caught it twice and it got away, but now I'm on this mission. People just are like, hey, this guy saved a dog, so here's a shot.”
Dennhardt plans to continue using the drone to rescue animals.
“Right now, what I'd really like to do is to figure out the best equipment, find the answer that the owner is looking for in the shortest time possible, and then go out and help people,” he said.
“I'm not actively seeking work in that way. I just think that this is a great reboot for me and it's really nice to have like meaningful and impactful things that I can do with my time, make a difference.”
Dennhardt said he can be reached by email, [email protected].
