Army veteran Dave Rimmer, 41, used his thermal imaging drone to find a missing cavapoo named Ted after the dog bolted from his dogsitter in the Dorset countryside.

Ted, a nine-year-old cavapoo, ran off after being startled by a gunshot, prompting an online appeal for help on Facebook.

Rimmer, who served in Iraq as an aerial imaging specialist from 2001 to 2008, joined the search efforts after seeing the plea.

Despite several attempts to locate Ted with drones, the dense forest near Wareham made it difficult to spot the missing dog.

“It was surreal to find him after he’d been missing for so long,” Rimmer shared. “That feeling quickly turned into joy.”

On Sunday morning, Rimmer set out early, knowing the cooler temperatures would enhance his drone’s ability to detect heat.

Within minutes, his thermal camera picked up a heat source near a river, initially believed to be a rabbit. Upon switching to a standard camera, he realized it was Ted, curled up and asleep.

The area was challenging to access, so Rimmer coordinated with a local farmer at Carey Farm and crossed a ford to reach Ted, finally scooping the tired pup into his arms.

Reflecting on the moment, Rimmer said, “The search was organized on Facebook, and many people were out there with drones. I woke up early when it was cooler, hoping to see more with the thermal camera. After spotting a heat signature on the riverbank, I thought it was a rabbit, but as I zoomed in, I knew it was too big. Switching to the standard camera, there was Ted, fast asleep.”

Rimmer navigated through rough terrain to reach the dog. “It was emotional,” he admitted. “I have dogs myself, so I understood what his owners were going through.”

Ted was safely reunited with his relieved owners, Melanie Rivera, 49, and Sergio Spicer, 55. “We were ecstatic,” Spicer said. “Ted is like a surrogate child to us; we’ve had him since he was a puppy. We’re incredibly grateful to Dave and the Wareham community for their help.”

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