Yardville mechanic uses a thermal drone to help track down missing dogs
When a dog disappears, Mike Hemsley looks for it from the sky.
The Yardville mechanic uses a thermal drone to search fields, woods and neighborhoods for missing pets, sometimes spending hours trying to help bring a dog home.
Hemsley owns Precision Auto Care LLC in Yardville, where he has been the owner for 12 years. Although he has worked as a mechanic for a little more than 35 years, in his free time, he helps dog owners across New Jersey search for missing pets, sometimes staying out until 2 or 3 in the morning
One search lasted six hours. Others can take days. Hemsley uses a thermal and waterproof drone, traps and trail cameras to help locate missing dogs.
Sometimes the search ends with a reunion between a relieved owner and a missing pet. Other times, the outcome is harder.
“I’ve had people crying on my shoulders,” says the 54-year-old Hamilton resident. “One guy turned around, walked away, got on his knees and looked up. Almost brought me to tears. I’ve had some heartbreaks, too, where you find them not alive.”
Since starting these searches, Hemsley has found around 60 missing dogs.
Hemsley does not charge owners for his help.
What began as an interest in flying drones took on a new purpose about two years ago, when Hemsley came across a YouTube video of a retired state trooper using a thermal drone.
“He had a thermal drone, and I’m like, ‘That’s something I can get into,’” Hemsley says. “So I bought my first thermal drone used on Marketplace. I love to fly, so now that gives purpose.”
Hemsley initially became interested in drones around five years ago, when his kids bought him a $100 SNAPTAIN drone for Christmas. He has been hooked ever since.
Hemsley’s first dog rescue involved the Yardville Fire Department.
“My first dog I found was lost off Laylor Street, one of the streets that leads to the swamp back there, and I found them out in the swamp,” Hemsley says. “A fire department rescued him, backed the ladder in and lowered the boat down. They went in there in their wetsuits and paddled in and pulled them out.”
There were eight fire trucks there, Hemsley adds.
The dog unfortunately did not survive, but the family was able to say goodbye.
Other rescues, however, end on a happier note. Hemsley found a 9-pound dog named Roxie after she had been missing for 10 days.
“I found her one night about ten o’clock after the tenth day, and we stayed out there and hovered over her all night to make sure she wouldn’t move,” Hemsley says. “We waited till the next morning and directed her [owner] in. She saw them, the tail started wagging, and she couldn’t get to her mom fast enough.”
There is no usual amount of time it takes to find a missing dog. It depends on the dog and the reason it left, Hemsley says.
“I get a lot of calls when there’s no sightings, no direction a dog is in,” Hemsley says. “It depends on the dog, too. If it’s a husky, they’re known to be runners. That dog could be five miles away.”
He finds that while a drone is a great tool, it is not a cure-all for finding pets.
“Especially this time of year or even in the winter,” Hemsley says. “I’m not in the right spot at the right time. I’m not gonna see the dogs.”
Hemsley does not charge people for finding their dogs, but he does accept donations through Venmo.
“I just feel like, in that person’s time of need, it feels like taking advantage of them to a point,” Hemsley says. “It’s great if you find the dog, but if you don’t, they’re stuck now. What do they do?”
When he receives donations, the money usually goes toward fuel for his diesel truck.
Hemsley receives calls from people across New Jersey to help them find their missing dogs and is currently trying to find a Yorkie in Lambertville. He also works with a couple of dog-finding groups in South Jersey. These groups use traps to find dogs but call him when they need a drone.
Hemsley plans to continue finding dogs in the future.
“As long as the drone’s flying,” Hemsley says. “I’m gonna keep doing it.”
Hemsley advises dog owners not to panic when their dog goes missing and encourages them to reach out to groups on Facebook for help. There are Facebook groups for every county, Hemsley adds.
“Don’t go around screaming its name,” Hemsley says. “A lot of times that pushes it further. Put articles of the dog, yourself, your old sweatshirt at your house. Food outside, under a camera, because a lot of times they’ll come back.”
