Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK - Thermal Drone Accessories

My name is Paul Joy and I'm a volunteer drone pilot for Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK based in Fakenham, Norfolk.

Drone SAR For Lost Dogs UK was setup by Graham Burton with the aim of using drones to help find missing dogs. It has grown rapidly over the last six years with over 4,500 volunteer drone pilots and over 3,500 volunteer ground searchers across the UK, and Ireland. In that time Drone SAR has helped to reunite in excess of 6000 missing dogs.

I've been volunteering as a drone pilot for DSAR for a few years now and I'm very pleased to be the current custodian of a DJI Mavic 3T Thermal drone which is owned by Drone SAR. The drone was purchased via a fundraiser run by the owners of a dog named Pearl who was found with the help of DSAR volunteers in 2024. Because of the amazing work raising the money the drone was also named "Pearl".

The reason we'd like to raise more money is to increase the amount of time Pearl can be in the air searching when a dog is lost. We currently have four batteries for the drone providing 30 - 35 minutes flight time per battery which means that we are able to search for around 2 hours before having to call off the search to head home and recharge.

We would like to purchase three more batteries for the drone which will almost double the time we can spend searching, we'll be able to do this once we reach £400. We would also like to purchase a searchlight that attaches to the top of the drone which will allow us to continue searching in the dark, this would be an additional £400.

All donations are transferred directly to Graham Burton who runs Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK. Once we reach each of our goals Graham will purchase and supply the accessories so they can be put in to use when I search for lost dogs.

I will be super thankful to anyone who helps us achieve our goal. Most of the dog owners that I help are so scared that their dogs are out there alone, when I turn up with the drone it always gives them a lot of hope. Having to tell them I've used up all the batteries and have to give up is really hard so I'm sure any donation you make will not only be appreciated by Drone SAR for Lost Dogs but also by every dog owner thats desperate to find their missing pets.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read our story and a huge hug to all who donate to help get lost dogs home.