For 18 days, goldendoodle rescue Mia was lost in the 3,400-plus-acre Glacial Park Conservation Area in Ringwood. It took tireless dedication from her owners, volunteers and drones – and plenty of hope – to get the dog back home safe.

Owners Donna and Jim Davis of Spring Grove had adopted Mia from a rescue organization about three months before she got lost. They were walking her with their other dogs in the park on Feb. 12 when their leashes got tangled and Mia, described as “very skittish,” took off running, Donna said. The couple immediately gathered friends and family to start searching for her, but as the sun started to set, and with the expansive terrain, they knew they needed serious help.

“It was awful,” she said.

Soon, they got in contact with Michael Davis of Crystal Lake-based Best Furry Friend Search and Rescue and Bartlett-based Michael Smith, who owns drone operating company SmithicAir. With his thermal drone, Smith was able to locate Mia that same night. But since she was so far away and it was dark, they knew it would be best to continue the rescue mission the next day.

Linda Hartman, a volunteer who helps find missing dogs all over northern Illinois, described Mia’s case as challenging because they didn’t initially have a permit to set up a trap in the conservation area. Instead, they had to attempt to lure Mia back to her owners, which is difficult to do when dogs are in “survival mode,” Hartman said.

“They start seeing everything as predators,” she 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.”

The group came out to the conservation area every day. Food stations were set up with cameras, and they would get hopeful glimpses of Mia eating. But sometimes, the dog would go undetected for days at a time.

“She’s resilient. She’s a survivor,” Donna Davis said. “She learned how to navigate all the coyotes in the area.”

Using both air and ground tactics, trackers tried to urge Mia towards her owners, who were waiting on a trail. Mia got within eyesight a few times, but would run off because of that survival mode.

“Those were really heartbreaking situations where you’re so close,” Donna said. “It’s a rollercoaster. A nightmare.”

Finally, the group got permission to set up a cage in the park to trap Mia. Two days later, at 5 a.m. on March 1, Donna got a call that Mia had been successfully caught.

From her adventures, Mia suffered a soft tissue injury, but is fully expected to heal after receiving pain medication and anti-inflammatories. Despite spending over two weeks in the wilderness, Mia lost only one pound.

Though Smith’s thermal drone was able to spot Mia the same night she went missing, he gives all the credit to Michael Davis and Hartman, who do the ground work every day.

“It’s not just all about the drone or it’s not all about the ground team,” Smith said. “It’s Team Mia, and I had a really small part of it, but I’m proud of the work I did with it.”

Smith put together a YouTube video compiling the group’s efforts: youtu.be/Y1R2StfvhtY.

Drones can’t be used in all missing dog situations. Residential areas and anywhere that isn’t an open field can make drone searching nearly impossible because there are too many places for dogs to hide, Hartman said, who also serves as a co-director for the nonprofit Lost Dogs Illinois.

“Drones can be a real helpful tool in certain situations, but they’re not always the most effective option,” she said.

Hartman encourages anyone who loses a dog to follow these first steps:

• Immediately put out food, water and your dog’s bed or an article of clothing at the location where your dog was last seen. “There is a good chance that your dog may return,” she said.
• Post your dog on Lost Dogs Illinois by registering with PetFBI at petfbi.org.
• Get the word out by using fliers and signs with a picture of your dog and your phone number. Go door-to-door with your fliers in the neighborhood where your dog was last seen.
• Contact your local animal shelters, animal control facilities, vet clinics and police departments to report your dog missing.  Email them a photo of your dog and your contact information.
• Notify the microchip company that your dog is missing and confirm that the chip is registered with your current contact information.
• Instruct everyone who is helping you to not call or chase your dog. “This will prolong your search,” she said. Sitting or lying down and tossing out treats is the best way to lure in a dog.