Drone operator locates family’s 15-year-old deaf dog after 27 hours missing

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) – A drone operator is receiving praise for helping rescue a family’s 15-year-old dog, who was missing for more than a day.

Sonja Jarmoszuk’s family was thrown into a state of panic Saturday night after their deaf Portuguese Water Dog, Pumpkin, went missing from their home along Lake Erie.

Pumpkin, who is a little unsteady on her paws, has been a constant in the family for many years.

“We’ve had her for 15-and-a-half years and she’s just a part of us,” Jarmoszuk said.

With no way to physically call for the deaf dog, the family had to think of alternative ways to help get Pumpkin back home.

“We couldn’t even yell her name out to try to find her to see if she would bark at us,” Jarmoszuk said.

When it became too late and dark Saturday to continue the search, Jarmoszuk took to social media to ask for help looking for Pumpkin.

The next day, as the family restarted their search, their community stepped in to help.

Neighbors and strangers came to the family’s aid, searching everywhere they could possibly imagine and handing out flyers.

One neighbor even took a paddleboard out to search the shoreline, where the home sits on a steep embankment.

“I live in a great community. I mean, the people, the support, the help, the outreach,” said Jarmoszuk. “Even 7 and 8-year-old kids were helping us.”

As it had been 24 hours since Pumpkin had last been seen, Jarmoszuk got a message from a woman she’d never met suggesting she reach out to a drone operator.

“The thermal drone was the answer to my prayers,” Jarmoszuk said.

Craig Fazenbaker of Grunt Deer Recovery LLC got the emergency call on Sunday and drove an hour to help.

“We have animals here at my house,” Fazenbaker said. “It’s not an animal, it’s a member of your family.”

He used his thermal drone to search the coastline, but said he had a gut feeling that Pumpkin wasn’t far from home.

Soon, drone video showed a hot spot far down the embankment from the home.

It was Pumpkin, trapped amongst the vines and nearly down to the water. Not only did they find the beloved family dog, but she was sitting upright and was alert after 27 hours.

Pumpkin had tumbled down the viney embankment and couldn’t move because she was tangled in the vines.

After spotting Pumpkin from above, Fazenbaker, a retired Marine, decided to climb down to the dog and rescue her as well.

“As soon as my arms went around her, that’s when her tail was just instantly going to town, like ‘Hey, someone’s picking me up, I’m safe now,’” Fazenbaker said.

Jarmoszuk said she is grateful for Fazenbaker saving their dog and for everyone else who helped track down her family’s best friend.

“All the people that helped in this community, even in neighboring cities, they were coming and looking for her was just emotional and goodness in people for sure,” Jarmoszuk said.

They took Pumpkin to the vet the next morning. They said she’s doing great and has no injuries after her harrowing 27 hours away from her family.

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