A helicopter pilot in Australia recently found a man’s missing dog in the Outback in what the owner called a “needle in a haystack rescue.”
For those who’ve never been to cattle country Down Under, it might come as a surprise to know that because the ranches are so vast, farmers will often hire helicopter pilots to round the cattle up for them.
But in late April, pilot Jack Poplawski got a different sort of phone callâa man had lost his dog and was desperate for some help.
Jamie Rooney was driving along in a remote part of West Australia’s Pilbara region near the town of Newman, and, coming across a large creek, he thought he’d let his dog Rocky go for a swim to cool off.
The American Staffordshire terrier was all too happy for the opportunity. It couldn’t have been more than a minute that Rocky was out of sightâas Rooney had gone up to his truck to get something. But returning to the water, Rocky was nowhere to be seen.
After frantically looking around the water, Rooney drove up and down the trails in the area, standing on the roof periodically and calling his dog’s name, but Rocky never turned up.
MORE DOG RESCUES: A Lost Dog Treks 150 Miles Across Alaskan Sea Ice Before Heâs Reunited with His Family
“Earlier that day, as I was driving past the airport I could see all the helicopters going up ⦠[so] I just went online for rescue helicopters and I just called the number,” Rooney told ABC News Down Under.
On the other end of the line was pilot Jack Poplawski.
“At the start they said, ‘Look, it’s a needle in the haystack’, and I was very worried,” Rooney said. “Once you leave maybe 5-10 minutes out of town [Newman], it’s just nothing. It’s just vast outback land.”
But as a devoted dog owner himself, Poplawski was determined to help, despite the odds.
MORE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK TALES: Mechanic Saved a Familyâs Dream With Quick Fix for Wheelchair Malfunction in Aussie Outback
Flying low over the terrain, Poplawski’s 20-12 vision spotted a set of tracks, which even from his helicopter appeared to the pilot as too large to be a dingo’s. It was minutes later that Poplawski spotted Rocky trotting along a small track.
The reunion in the back of Poplawski’s chopper was emotional, with Rooney left grateful and in tears. The owner says the experience has led him to invest in a GPS tag for Rocky’s collar, as well as a new appreciation for the cattle-mustering pilots of Australia’s Outback.
SHARE This Pilot’s Incredible Eyes And A Happy Ending For A Dog And His Dad…
