This is the emotional moment a sausage dog was reunited with its owner after going missing for ten days.
Mila, a miniature Dachshund, escaped from her dogsitter when a door was accidentally left open on on May 27.
Her owner, Karen Higgens, from Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, and her daughter, Alannah, 15, launched a frantic search for the pup but she was nowhere to be seen.
Karen left unwashed clothing outside her home, smelly food like sardines and meat to try and tempt the pup, and she left their door open as most dogs return within the first 48 hours.
After 10 days scouring the village and nearby fields with a search party of friends, family and strangers, Karen and her family were left distraught and wondering if they’d ever see Mila again.
Mila, a miniature Dachshund, escaped from her dogsitter when a door was accidentally left open on on May 27
Her owner, Karen Higgens, from Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, and her daughter, Alannah, 15, launched a frantic search for the pup but she was nowhere to be seen. Mila and Alannah are pictured
But on June 5, Mila was spotted by a local farmer who noticed her running after she darted in front of his machinery in a field.
Karen enlisted the help of Drone to Home – a volunteer charity helping owners locate their missing dogs using specialist drones – to help pinpoint the pooch’s exact location.
Drone to Home was able to track Mila to the farmer’s field behind the home she went missing from and instructed Alannah to sit and wait for the shy dog to approach.
Mila, almost two, made a beeline for her owner – who was instructed to sit calmly in the field and wait for the pup. She was reunited with her family on June 5.
Karen, a mother-of-three said: ‘Milagro is Spanish and means miracle and Mila’s name is the shortened version of that.
‘She is a miracle – we never gave up hope.
‘I kept saying to my daughter, Alannah: “We will find her and bring her home”.’
Mila, almost two, made a beeline for her owner – who was instructed to sit calmly in the field and wait for the pup. She was reunited with her family on June 5
Drone footage captured the emotional moment Alannah was reunited with her sausage dog – after it went missing for 10 days
Pictured is the moment Alannah and Mila reunited
Timid Mila slipped out of an open door while with a dogsitter.
Karen and her two youngest children were heading away on a two-night trip in a caravan when the pup went missing.
Karen said: ‘We were 50 minutes away when we had a call to say someone had accidentally left a door open and Mila had run out.
‘She’d vanished in front of their eyes, she moved so fast.
‘We drove back immediately and searched for hours. My eldest daughter has a pilot’s licence for a drone and she looked herself for hours.’
As the family desperately searched for their beloved pet, they employed several methods to entice and help Mila back home.
Karen left unwashed clothing outside her home, smelly food like sardines and meat to try and tempt the pup, and she left their door open as most dogs return within the first 48 hours. Pictured reuniting
Mila was found in ‘very good shape’ – just suffering some scratches to her ears and was caked with mud under her armpit
Karen left unwashed clothing outside her home, smelly food like sardines and meat to try and tempt the pup, and she left their door open as most dogs return within the first 48 hours.
She also alerted her local Facebook groups and reported Mila’s absence to her vets, Doglost.co.uk, the microchip company and 101.
Through feedback from her Facebook posts, Karen discovered there were voluntary drone dog search and rescue organisations that could help and enlisted the help of three.
Karen said: ‘I’m a bit like a dog with a bone and I ramped up the search for Mila every day.
‘I was contacting the local radio, the paper, sharing Mila nationwide on Facebook and soon the news started spreading.
‘We even set up Ring doorbell cameras on my home and the one Mila went missing from in case she came back.
‘The groups, organisations and charities I found are all completely voluntary – they wouldn’t take any money at all.
‘They offered massive support to me and my family and gave us positivity and hope.’
Karen said drone charity then encouraged Alannah, her 15-year-old daughter, to see if she could coax Mila as she is the pup’s ‘favourite’ person.
Mila was finally spotted on June 5 when a local farmer who knew the dog was missing came across her in his field – behind the property where she had gone missing.
Drone to Home with their specialist thermal imaging drones had travelled from across the country and were already on location.
They were able to pinpoint Mila’s location by hovering above the field and tracking with thermal imaging.
Karen said drone charity then encouraged Alannah, her 15-year-old daughter, to see if she could coax Mila as she is the pup’s ‘favourite’ person.
She said: ‘Alannah would sit in the field and walk around it, and Mila would come close to her and then dart away again.
‘Drone to Home told her to walk around the field in a certain way and then sit in the field and not say anything so the dog would follow her scent.
‘In the footage, you can see Mila following the trail left by Alannah’s scent.
‘When she saw her, Mila bolted towards her – it was breathtaking.
‘The communities around here are such caring, kind and considerate people.
‘I owe it to them for all of that time keeping my spirits up, searching for her every day. I am so grateful to everybody involved in the search.
‘If it was just me, I would never have found her. When we found her, the absolute joy in the miles surrounding us was huge.’
Mila was found in ‘very good shape’ – just suffering some scratches to her ears and was caked with mud under her armpits.
Karen said that after a bath, Mila was ‘happy as Larry’.
She added: ‘She hasn’t left Alannah’s side – she’s her magnet. The bond between them is so strong.
‘We were told she might be a bit feral but she’s back to being sweet little Mila with her head on the pillow and under the duvet.
‘Not many people know about drone charities helping with missing dog searches.
‘People being aware of what to do when you’ve lost your dog can make the world of difference.’