Puppy lost in woods found after 10 days thanks to drone search

‘Everybody’s got the capability to help’, said rescuer Brian James

A New York family got an early Thanksgiving gift this week when their puppy returned safely after spending 10 days lost in the woods.

Gary and Debbie Morgan issued a plea for help after their one-year-old golden retriever, Meadow, went missing earlier this month.

The pair put up flyers and asked for assistance online after Meadow vanished in woods near Andes, a small town in Delaware County, around 145 miles north of New York City.

Brian James, of Cairo, about 62 miles east of Andes, came to the rescue. He noticed one of the Morgans' flyers and joined the hunt for the white pup.

Equipped with a drone, Mr James headed to Andes to scan the sky above the woods where Meadow was last spotted.

"I’m realizing that [it] might be easy to see her from the air if we find her before snow [falls]," he said in a recording of the search.

After some time canvassing the trees where Meadow went missing, Mr James came across a patch of white on the floor of the woods.

“I was able to get a visual on Meadow from the air,” he told ABC News.

Mr James then rushed to the spot and found Meadow, who was alive and well. He reunited the pet with her family, who were overjoyed at her return.

“At the last second, he saw a small white dot on the forest floor. … It was Meadow,” Mr Morgan told the network.

“[We’re] just so grateful for Brian for showing up when he did and being able to rescue her,” said Ms Morgan.

Mr James said that anybody could have done the same. “Everybody’s got the capability to help,” he added. “You never know what will come of it.”