Donna and Jim Davis's dog Mia was finally rescued after 18 days in the wilderness
Credit: Mike Smith of SmithicAir
NEED TO KNOW
- Donna and Jim Davis were walking their dogs on Feb. 12 when their leashes tangled, and their rescue dog Mia took off into the woods of a conservation area
- Drones and volunteers spotted Mia numerous times, but her survival instincts pushed her to run away each time
- A crucial development in the search process led to a happy outcome
A dog's accidental outdoor adventure – which lasted more than two weeks — concluded with a happy ending and a wholesome reunion, thanks to a team dedicated to finding her.
On Feb. 12, Donna and Jim Davis were on a walk with their dogs — including their recent rescue goldendoodle, Mia — at Glacial Park Conservation Area in Illinois, enjoying the day together, when the dogs' leashes became tangled, per the local paper, the Daily Herald. Apparently spooked by the commotion, Mia grew "skittish" and took off running into the woods.
The couple swiftly assembled a group of family and friends to help locate Mia in the vast, more than 3,400-acre conservation area. The animal lovers also reached out to Best Furry Friend Search and Rescue and the drone company SmithicAir to assist with the search.
Linda Hartman, a volunteer who helps locate lost dogs and was involved in the search for Mia, told the Daily Herald that finding the goldendoodle proved challenging because she had lapsed into a sort of "survival mode" that leads dogs to view most things as dangerous — even people trying to rescue them.
Credit: Mike Smith of SmithicAir
"They start seeing everything as predators," Hartman said. "The adrenaline rises, and fear kind of takes over, so they're no longer thinking like your pet, they're thinking about safety, distance and hiding."
Luckily, Michael Smith, who operates the drone company, located Mia that very night with his thermal drone, the outlet reported. However, the sighting came late in the day, and Mia's pet parents weren't able to secure a permit to set a humane trap to retrieve Mia, so the couple decided to return to the search the following day.
In the absence of traps, the search party sought to lure Mia towards them with food stations, which were observed by cameras. The team saw Mia multiple times, grabbing some food, but each time she darted off before the group could reach her.
"Those were really heartbreaking situations where you're so close. It's a rollercoaster. A nightmare," Donna said.
By the time the Davises obtained permission to set a trap for Mia, the dog had been wandering the Glacial Park Conservation Area for more than two weeks. The trap turned out to be the bit of luck they needed: two days later, Donna learned that Mia had finally been caught.
Despite her 18 days alone in the wilderness, Mia was in fairly good shape upon her rescue. The Daily Herald reported she had only lost one pound since her family weighed her last, and had soft tissue injuries, which are expected to heal with time.
Smith credited the whole search team for the miraculous rescue, including the Davises, the ground team, the search-and-rescue company, and the drone operators/
"It's not just all about the drone, or it's not all about the ground team," Smith told the outlet. "It's Team Mia, and I had a really small part of it. But I'm proud of the work I did with it."
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