Thermal drone finds recently adopted Bernedoodle Benji after 48 hours in Philly storm

Benji, a recently adopted one-and-a-half-year-old Bernedoodle, escaped from his Philadelphia home on the night of Saturday, Jan. 24 as a winter storm began, his owners Ece Bal and Justin Cerone recounted to the city’s local ABC affiliate. After disappearing for 48 hours during the brutal storm, the dog was located and reunited with his family thanks to a thermal drone.

"It's just unreal," Cerone said, and the couple praised how neighbors banded together to search. "It was incredible to see how everyone in the neighborhood mobilized," Cerone added. Someone from a local rescue contacted Rick Rotondo Photography and Lost Pet Thermal Drone Search to assist.

Drone operator Rick Rotondo told ABC he focused on quieter areas where a frightened dog might hide, and a Jan. 25 Facebook post on Rotondo’s page said, "He is scared and likely hiding to stay warm, possibly under cars, in lots, or other sheltered areas." The thermal drone located Benji in an abandoned lot about half a mile from the family’s home.

In a follow-up Facebook post Rotondo called the rescue "nothing short of incredible," writing, "His family moved fast, stayed calm, and did everything right once we had eyes on him. The video from this search is easily one of the most intense rescues we’ve ever been part of. At one point, Benji jumped roughly 15 feet off a wall and took off at full speed.

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