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When a dog goes missing, it can leave owners feeling helpless, not knowing where to turn.

Most are left to organise their own search mission and rely on the kindness of strangers or social media.

But with Drone to Home, one call can make a world of difference.

Set up in 2020 by Phil James, who took his hobby of flying drones and turned it into a rescue operation to help reunite lost dogs with their owners, the growing charity has since successfully located more than 1,500 missing pets.

Phil James (right) reuniting a lost dog with its worried owners.

Phil, aged 47, said: “At the start, it was just me and my drone searching areas owners had told me the dog had been last sighted.

“Then as I began finding more and more missing dogs, word soon spread that my skills and experience offered a much-needed peace of mind for people.

“I managed to get my own team of volunteers together and things just snowballed from there.”

As a Nottinghamshire resident and former police officer, Phil and his team of seven operate across the East Midlands – searching for and reuniting an average 43 dogs each month.

Drone to Home charity founder Phil James with his search and rescue vehicle.

With the help of thermal drones, the team can cover significant ground and search in areas that would take rescuers on foot much longer to scan.

Phil said: “Because of the techniques we’ve learned and what we know about how dogs usually behave when they go missing, we can also help a lot of people just over the phone.

“When the initial call comes in, we first try to calm the owner down and get all of the relevant information. We ask for a photo and the location they were last seen.

“We then send a checklist with lots of information to help bring the dog home – and many are found just using this checklist before we even get there.”

Drone to Home volunteers Phil, Kim and Rebecca.

First look at new Mansfield gift shop, One Gift to Another

Phil said knowledge and experience have helped his dog-finding skills to flourish.

“It’s about working with the owners and making sure they are calm and understand how dogs behave,” Phil added.

“It’s not unusual for a dog to run off after a pheasant and not come back within the first hour – some dogs will actually make their way back to the car eventually.

“Once we’ve gathered all the information together, we will then head over and help physically. We use our thermal drones, which can detect warm areas, so a field that would take searchers on foot hours to cover can be searched in minutes.”

The charity recently came to the rescue after three French bulldogs went missing in Rainworth.

“Two were found quickly, but one had run off,” Phil said. “So we spoke to the owner and gave her lots of advice and they were reunited in the end.”

With an almost 100 per cent success rate, the charity wants to reassure owners they always have somewhere to turn.

Phil said: “It can be very traumatic when a dog goes missing but we want people to know we’re here to help.

“We’ve got the knowledge, the experience, the tools and we know how dogs behave. Just give us a call. Our service is totally free to anyone who needs us.”

To get in touch with Drone to Home, visit itsFacebook page at fb.com/dronetohome or go to dronetohome.co.uk

Meet the drone charity which helps reunite dogs with owners in Mansfield and beyond