Firefighters Rescue Dog With Help From Drone To Home

A rescue took place in Thieves Wood, Mansfield, as fire crews worked hard to rescue Remi, a 4-year-old Patterdale, who had become trapped in a rabbit hole.

The teamwork between firefighters, a volunteer-led organisation called Drone to Home, and the dog’s owners, led to a heartwarming conclusion as Remi was pulled to safety after nearly 30 hours of searching.

On Sunday morning, Remi, like many Patterdales, wandered off into the woods. Her owners, who had equipped her with a collar, bells, and a tracker, grew concerned when the tracker went offline, meaning they were unable reach Remi’s location. After hours of searching, the owners contacted Drone to Home for some further help searching for her.

Phil from Drone to Home, along with his team, arrived and immediately began using drones to search the area. As hours went by, and Remi still wasn’t found, Ashfield and Mansfield Fire Station were called to see if they could add any further resources to the search.

Ashfield Fire Station first attended on Sunday 16 March at 14:55 but were unable to find Remi. The search with Drone to Home continued, and Mansfield Fire Station then attended at 19:16 on Monday 17 March.

A black Labrador tracker dog, Travis, and his owner, were mobilised to help with the search. Travis confirmed Remi’s location so firefighters began digging around the located rabbit burrow under torchlight, and finally, after an hour, pulled Remi out of the hole, alive, who was stuck five metres down.

Remi’s owner, Mark, said: “We never thought that Remi would be returning to us. We are eternally grateful to the fire service and Drone to Home for their help – they all went above and beyond, and we couldn’t have asked for better people to help us in our time of need.”

The collaboration between Drone to Home and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service was praised by all involved. 

Phil from Drone to Home, said: “We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service for their outstanding assistance in the rescue of Remi. 

“It was a pleasure to work in partnership on this amazing rescue. Together, we achieved a wonderful result – happy dog owners and one very happy Patterdale.”

Andy Macey, Area Manager of Response of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This rescue demonstrates the dedication of our teams, who always go above and beyond, whether it’s a fire, a road traffic collision, or even an animal rescue. We’re proud to be part of the team that reunited Remi to her owners.”

Do you fancy being in a team that performs rescues like this, as well as responding to other emergencies? You can apply to be an on-call firefighter now.