🐾 When Compassion Meets Caution: Why We’ve Changed Our Approach to Using Our Drones For Lost Pet Recovery - An Update

TopKnotch Drone Solutions
Jun 29
3 min read

A Difficult Decision, Made with Care

At TopKnotch Drone Solutions, we’ve always believed in using technology to serve people—and sometimes, their pets. We have often been called to support families through some of their most stressful moments, using aerial intelligence with our drones for lost pet recovery (update below) to help locate missing animals in dense terrain, dangerous conditions, and dwindling daylight.

But one recent mission changed everything.

The Incident: Our Drone Shot Down While Using Our Drones For Lost Pet Recovery with Update

While assisting in the search for a lost dog in a rural area, our drone was intentionally shot down. The aircraft was operating legally, safely, and with full transparency—yet it was destroyed mid-flight. Thankfully, no one was injured, and the dog was later found safe near the crash site.

But the message was clear: even with the best intentions, these missions can carry unexpected risks—not just for our equipment, but for our team, our clients, and the communities we serve. While we are still a fairly new company and trying to grow, this blow hit us hard in several ways. Unfortunately, it meant that not only were we unable to provide our regular services for a time, we had to also pivot to decide the future of our new company.

What This Means: A New Drone Policy for Lost Pet Recovery

As a result of this incident, we’ve made the difficult decision to significantly limit our involvement in lost pet recovery operations. While we remain deeply committed to the mission of helping animals and their humans, we must also prioritize safety, sustainability, and responsible use of our resources.

Going forward, we will only engage in lost pet recovery under the following conditions:

🐱 The missing animal is a cat
🐕 A trained tracking dog (ours or another's) is actively involved in the search
⏱️ The animal has been missing for less than 12 hours
📋 The search allows for alignment with Missing Animal Response Network (MARN) guidelines
🤝 The request is pre-screened and approved by our team in collaboration with a certified tracker or rescue organization

These criteria are designed to ensure that our efforts are both effective and safe—for everyone involved.

Looking Ahead: Training, Transition, and Hope

The owner of the dog involved in the incident is currently completing professional training through the Missing Animal Response Network, with the goal of continuing this work in a more structured and sustainable way. Our hope is that, in the future, we can support these efforts through partnerships, training, and technology—without compromising safety or mission integrity.

We’re not closing the door on animal recovery. We’re just making sure it opens the right way.

If You’ve Lost a Pet: What to Do Next

If you’re facing the heartbreak of a missing pet, we recommend the following steps:

Contact your local animal control or humane society
Reach out to a certified pet tracker through the Missing Animal Response Network
Use flyers, car tagging, and social media to alert your community
Keep scent articles stored for use with a trained tracking dog (and let your neighbors know when they will be out or if a drone is being utilized)
If your case meets our criteria, feel free to reach out—we’ll do our best to help or refer you to someone who can

Final Thoughts: Compassion, Recalibrated

We love animals. We love helping people. And we believe in the power of technology to do good. But sometimes, doing good means knowing when to step back, reassess, and rebuild with intention.

If you've supported us in any way, please know that you are why we were able to do this work for even a short time without losing our minds. While we (and our drone) recalibrate, we are so very grateful to have had this experience.

To everyone who’s trusted us with their search, thank you. Your stories have shaped us—and they’ll continue to guide us as we evolve and we hope to one day return to this work in a way that is meaningful to all, us included.

-Travis & Kaitlyn