CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (WLS) — The dog’s owners say Charlie went missing one week ago Monday after being let out on a foggy morning.
The couple says they spent days trying to find him until they got help from one group using thermal technology.
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A thermal drone scanned a Crystal Lake neighborhood in search of the family’s missing dog.
Then suddenly, blue and green images turned clear.
“Oh my God! Got him! Yes, we got him! We got him!” one of the rescuers said.
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Video captured the moment 2-year-old Charlie was found Sunday near Huntley and Ackman roads, a mere two-minute walk from home.
“And, he was in this, kind of, park, walking trail area off in some tall grass and broken-down trees. And, he was hiding there,” said Kate Belmonte, Charlie’s owner.
Kate Belmonte and her fiancé, David Nowak, had been looking for the Bernese Mountain Dog since last Monday morning.
And with the help of Dog Gone Pet Recovery, a Lake Villa animal search and rescue group, they were finally reunited with their canine best friend.
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Though, he was badly hurt. Charlie was taken to a veterinary hospital with a broken femur.
The couple is thankful for Charlie’s will to survive in the cold for nearly a week and for the group’s days-long effort to find him.
“It’s just unbelievable technology, and pretty much without this, to be honest with you, I don’t know we would’ve been able to find him,” said David Nowak, Charlie’s owner.
David and Kate said Charlie is still at the hospital, recovering after surgery Monday, but will be back home on Tuesday, warm and cozy with the couple and their other two dogs.
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