Juno, a Norfolk search-and rescue dog, was rescued from the river by DRONE six days after her beloved German Pointer disappeared during a Christmas training exercise.

  • Juno the female German Shorthaired Pointer was missing on 21 December  
  • Ian Danks, the owner of Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue charity, is the team leader
  • Rescue boats and cameras were used to search for the pet. 
  • A drone found the dog yesterday in River Waveney.  










Six days ago, the Norfolk Search and Rescue Dog went missing while on training exercises before Christmas. Yesterday she was rescued by a drone from a river.

Juno was a German female shorthaired Pointer and she disappeared from her regular training in Fritton Woods at Yarmouth on December 21. 

Ian Danks (42), and his family had gotten ahead of their pooch into thick, tall, reeds.

Danks, a dog handler and trustee who is also the team leader for the Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue charity. Juno has been certified with him in 2019.

Juno, (pictured) who is a female German shorthaired Pointer disappeared on December 21 while she was on a regular training exercise in Fritton Woods near Yarmouth

Juno (pictured), is a German female shorthaired Pointer who disappeared in December while she was doing a training exercise at Fritton Woods, near Yarmouth.

These two have been instrumental in locating missing and vulnerable persons across Norfolk and Suffolk as well as Cambridgeshire. 

According to Mr Danks, Juno was searched for ‘almost continuously’ in the 48-hours that followed her disappearance.

Juno was found by rescue boats, helicopters, thermal imaging camera, drones and foot teams after her desperate search.    

The pooch had run ahead of her owner Ian Danks, 42, and his family into thick, tall reeds. Pictured: Mr Danks with Juno

Ian Danks, 42 years old, had already run the race with his dog Juno, into thick and tall reeds. Juno with Mr Danks

Unfortunately, she was not found over Christmas, in spite of numerous posts on social media and coordinated efforts to search for her.

According to Mr Danks, it was a terrible experience. It’s always the little things – seeing her bed in front of the fire and she’s not in it. 

It was so frustrating to see her toys scattered around. The little things were the most stressful.

Sadly, Juno (pictured) remained missing over Christmas, despite widely shared social media posts and huge coordinated search efforts

Unfortunately, Juno (pictured below) was still missing during Christmas despite widespread social media sharing and coordinated searches

Juno finally was found in an area near the River Waveney where he used a drone to fly across the boundary of Suffolk and Norfolk.

A handler had previously seen the dog and noticed that she was still covered in her waterproof, hi-vis dog coat. The dog was then rescued from the water.

After tempting her with dog biscuits, they took her out of the water and put her in a rescue boat.  

Juno was finally found using a drone yesterday morning in a reed bed by the River Waveney, on the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk. Pictured Juno and Mr Danks

Juno, a piloted drone was discovered yesterday in Juno’s reed bed near the River Waveney. This is the boundary of Norfolk and Suffolk. Juno with Mr Danks 

Juno lost weight, has swelling on her feet and some cut marks after six nights of being outside. However, she is generally healthy. 

Everybody involved was relieved when she returned home safely.

Many of the people who helped save the pet were familiar with their dog.   

The rescue boat finds Juno yesterday

Juno was taken to safety from a reed bed on the River Waveney

Juno is now a healthy woman, although she has gained some weight. She has some swelling and cuts on her feet from six nights spent outside.

The owner, who was delighted to have a pooch found, was “incredibly emotional.” 

Danks expressed appreciation for all who were involved in the search. This included his team, Suffolk’s 4×4 Response team, and Red Cross volunteers.

The man now wants to treat his pet dog with Christmas turkey, but not a lot as he’s trying to get her back on the right track.

Her delighted owner was 'incredibly emotional' after his pooch was found. Pictured: Juno and the one of the rescue teams

After his dog was found, Juno’s owner became ‘extremely emotional. Juno with one of rescue crews

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