When a beloved pet disappears, the hours stretch out and every rustle outside starts to sound like hope. Ryder, a 2-and-a-half-year-old Norwich Terrier and champion show dog, went missing on December 1 from the backyard of a home in Landenberg, Chester County. He was staying there at his handler’s place before a dog show at the Oaks Expo Center. Flyers went up, neighbors kept watch, and family and friends searched tirelessly around the streets and tree lines where he was last seen.
After six days with no clear lead, Ryder’s co-owner Sharon Jones decided to try a different kind of help. She contacted Rick Rotondo, a Phoenixville drone pilot who has become known locally as a pet detective. Rotondo is also a first responder with Friendship Fire Company, and he uses a high-tech thermal drone with spotlights to scan large areas quickly. He typically charges pet owners a few hundred dollars to travel and search, and he says he has located around 20 dogs through about 70 drone searches.
For Ryder’s case, Rotondo spent roughly two hours flying over the area, watching the screen for a warm silhouette that didn’t belong. Then a small shape appeared, and for a split second he assumed it was a cat. When the animal turned its head, he recognized Ryder. The moment was made even more tense by the clock, with only about 10 minutes left on the drone’s battery. Ryder was in a bamboo field about three minutes from where he had last been seen, tucked into the kind of cover that can hide a dog even in daylight.
Jones later described reaching the spot and seeing Ryder standing there, as if he had simply been waiting for someone to find him. The reunion was quick and emotional, the kind that makes everyone’s knees go weak with relief. Not long after, Ryder was back in West Virginia with his owners, resting and recovering from the week he spent on his own. Co-owner Cathy Jennings said she couldn’t imagine what Christmas would have looked like without him and felt deeply grateful to have him home. She expects Ryder to return to the dog show circuit next month.
There is still one frustrating blank space in the story, because no one knows exactly how Ryder got out of the handler’s yard or what might have startled him into running. But his safe return highlights how persistence, community effort, and a bit of modern technology can come together when it matters most.
Have you ever faced the fear of a missing pet, or would you try a drone search in an emergency? Share your thoughts in the comments.
