Jock the Staffie is lost in searing heat for three days – before thermal drone finds missing dog in just ten minutes

They are used to rescuing hikers and climbers who get into trouble in remote steppes and hills.

But when locals spent three days searching for a lost dog in the scorching heat, mountain rescuers felt the need to intervene with a thermal drone and found the pet in just ten minutes.

The seven-year-old black-spotted Staffordshire bull terrier escaped from owner Andrew Charleton and disappeared into dense undergrowth during one of their walks in Rothbury, Northumberland, last week.

Mr Charleton, 63, was devastated to have Jock by his side throughout his treatment and recovery from head and neck cancer.

Risking sunburn and heatstroke in high temperatures of 20 degrees, a determined Mr Charleton was joined by the local community, including farmers and game hunters, in the search for Jock by foot, bike and quad bike.

Some even camped overnight in the hope that the animal would be able to come out when temperatures cooled.

But as hope for Jock’s safe return faded, Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team volunteers deployed a thermal drone and found Jock tied to dense bush, led by the hungry but unharmed Jock.

Describing their reunion, Mr Charleton, former regional manager for Northumberland Water, said: ‘Jock is not just a dog. She was my best friend who stood by me as we explored these moors together while recovering from head and neck cancer.

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team used thermal drone to help find Jock, who had been missing for three days in record temperatures

‘Jock never gave up on me; I was determined not to give up on him. As soon as the mountain rescue team released him, he jumped straight into my arms, and I cried as I hugged him.

‘I don’t know how you survived without food or water for three days in that heat. ‘It’s miraculous to find him alive and surprisingly resilient, he’s such a hardy dog.’

Mr Charleton bought Jock as a puppy to help him recover from cancer after he underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy and six sessions of chemotherapy.

He said the dog was known in the local town for greeting people with ‘a tail wag that resembles a helicopter taking off’.

“The interesting thing is that I must have walked near Jock’s feet many times during my search and called out his name and he never made a sound, not even a squeal,” Mr Charleton said.

‘I think it went into some kind of primitive fear state where an animal’s response is to remain as still and silent as possible.’

Rothbury councilor Steven Bridgett was so impressed by the surge in support for Jock in the early days that he asked mountain rescue volunteers, who are funded by public donations and often rescue people in trouble on the borough’s vast, desolate moors and moors, if they would join the search.

They agreed, and a three-man team including drone pilot Carl Hamilton, rescue team member Karl Wait and mission controller Andrew Miller deployed their drone at 5 a.m. Thursday near where Jock was last seen.

Andrew was devastated because his dog was his constant companion throughout his head and neck cancer treatment and recovery.

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue spokesman Will Close-Ash said the drone could only be used during cooler hours, making it easier to detect the animal’s body temperature. He located Jock within ten minutes.

‘We don’t normally help search for lost pets, but we found the right people with the right skills in the right area at the right time,’ Mr Close-Ash said.

‘It was lovely for the team to witness the emotional reunion between Andrew and Jock. ‘No one expected a good outcome due to the heat and the length of time.’

Councilor Bridgett added that Jock’s survival in the heat without food or water was a ‘miracle of nature’.

Jock is said to be no worse off than his ordeal and is back exploring the countryside, this time with a tracking device on his collar.