Rescuers Lured a Trapped Dog In To Be Rescued, With a Sausage On a Rope

Not all heroes wear capes, some brings sausages.

Mary

• Published in Animal Stories
• January 29, 2022

The past few days were challenging for these UK rescuers after Millie, a Jack Russell-whippet mix was stuck in the mudbank for days. The police, firefighters, and coastguards were worried for the dog's life as the tide began to rise.

They have tried different ways to get the dog out of the mud, but they failed. As their last resort, they had come up with the idea of attaching a sausage to a drone, thinking that Millie would be tempted by the meat's scent and eventually follow it.

Chris Taylor, chair of the Denmead Drone Search and Rescue team, told the Guardian that they had never tried doing this before until one of their drone pilots had suggested tying food to their drones and flying it to where Millie is. Then, they checked the Civil Aviation Authority regulations and calculated the MTOW or the maximum takeoff weight of their machines to know how much sausage they could attach to each drone.

"It was something we had never tried before — the sausages were the last resort, as we couldn't reach her by kayak or any other means," Taylor said. "If we hadn't had got her away from that area, the tide would have come in, and she would have been at risk of drowning," he added.

Actual photo of Millie at the middle of the mudbank.

Millie escaped from her leash and went missing on January 13 in Havant, Hampshire. A few hours later, the three-year-old dog was reported to be seen in an area of mudflats.

Denmead Drone Search & Rescue, a local volunteer organization, coordinated with the coast guards to go after Millie, which was 100m away from the coastline. Eventually, they lost track of her and returned the next day.

Grateful smile from Millie.

The team returned with the firefighters and police officers, but they still fail to get her closer to safer grounds and decided to try other means the following day. However, on the third day, kayakers were unable to get closer to Millie as the tide was rising, and this is where the idea came in.

Rescuers returning after their attempt of rescuing Millie.

The drone and the magic sausage.

The sausage-carrying drones on its way to save Millie.

Denmead Drone Search & Rescue commented how they used the drone and sausage to get Millie out on their Facebook post. People had found it unbelievable, but they commended the team's efforts.

"Yes, that really is a flying sausage, you're not seeing things. We used the sausage to lure Millie over the other side of the marshlands."

Rescuers anticipating how things would turn out.

"Surprisingly it worked extremely well. Though we did have a hair-standing moment when she caught the sausage and subsequently the drone," the team added.

Update from the rescuers about Millie's situation.

Yet, after they had rescued Millie from the marshlands, she had managed to escape again. Luckily, she didn't go to the same place but towards the industrial area where she was finally reunited with her owner, Emma Oakes.

The actual footage of how Millie followed the sausage to safety.

Good news from Millie's rescuers.

You can read the whole adventure of Millie on her rescuer's Facebook post. Moreover, they had included information on what the public should do whenever they spot a lost dog so that the situation will not worsen.

Everyone was finally relieved to know Millie was safe and home, especially her owner Emma. Emma had mentioned how Millie likes food, but her favorite is meat, and that she's a rescue dog, explaining her timid personality.

"She loves being at home more than anything, and now she's back all she's doing is sleeping. She just sleeps and eats and looks at you as if to say: 'I'm resting, leave me alone,'" Emma said.

Mary