Quick-acting drone pilot helps rescue dog found on side of NJ Turnpike
Mike Parziale told News 12 that he knew he had to act fast when the call came in close to midnight on Jan. 3.
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A dog rescued from the side of the New Jersey Turnpike earlier this month is recovering at her new forever home in South Carolina.
As News 12 has previously reported, drone technology helped find Abbie after her wild run up one of the Garden State’s busiest highways.
“I was up and out in literally seven minutes. I found Abbie,” says Mike Parziale, of USAR Drone Team.
Parziale told News 12 that he knew he had to act fast when the call came in close to midnight on Jan. 3.
Abbie, a 9-year-old golden retriever mix, ran off during a bathroom break at the Joyce Kilmer Rest Area, while on her way to Maine from a pet rescue in South Carolina. An AirTag tracked her running along the Turnpike all the way to Woodbridge but lost her when she went into the marshland.
RELATED: Thermal drone used to rescue injured dog near NJ Turnpike
Parziale runs USAR Drone Team. The drone utilizes a thermal camera.
“It's almost military grade. It's very sensitive,” he says.
Parziale says USAR Drone Team has participated in more than 100 pet rescues.
Katy Cowan, who founded Final Victory Animal Rescue in South Carolina in 2017, says she was relieved that Abbie was found safe.
“Just looking at the maps, and when I was watching her AirTag, there's like 25 lanes of traffic,” Cowan says.
Despite all odds, Abbie only suffered a bruised hip, likely from a vehicle graze.
After spending a day at a local New Jersey vet, a transport van on the way back to South Carolina from New England brought Abbie back to her former foster family, who decided to keep the dog after what she went through.
Abbie is scheduled to have surgery next week to repair her injured hip. She is expected to make a full recovery.
