Pet Search FAQ

How much does it cost?

Each search is different and costs vary with location, difficulty, and complexity of the search. Here are the base costs for our search services:

Retainer $250

The retainer is used to secure our services on your case. We develop a search plan, secure the Part 107 pilot, get FAA approval for flights in your area, generate an interactive map that aids communication at all phases of the search and is yours to keep as the search progresses, generate a webpage with critical details about your pet, start an ongoing social media presence and posting to broaden your reach, develop a unique, eye-catching PDF flyer that can be posted on social media and printed. We provide 25 weatherproof, laminated, high-visibility physical copies that can be scanned and referenced back to your webpage to broadcast updates to a wide audience. This work is the base of our search effort and is critical to the operation.

Part 107 FAA Licensed Thermal Drone Pilot $150/hour (4 hour minimum required)

We only use experienced Part 107 thermal drone pilots. These pilots understand the constraints and methods used for thermal drone pet searches. For example, thermal signatures cannot be detected by the drone through solid objects. We require a four hour minimum flight time to recursively search an area. Your pet may not be out the first time we fly by. We need multiple passes in an area at different altitudes and angles to ensure that if your pet is out in the open that they are detected. If predators are in that area we will determine their position and direction of travel, if possible, and haze them out of the search area if needed.

Ground Search $100/hour (2 hour minimum required)

Depending on the complexity of the terrain, ground searches can be more expensive. Our team is rope rescue certified and can search almost any terrain. In the most extreme terrain the cost of search may be significantly more expensive but there is no other team, to our knowledge, that offers this type of capability. Captain Enzo, our search dog, is still in training. We can use him to find scent clues from a scent article that you provide but do not place full weight on these results due to the fact that he is still learning his role. We also offer cellular game cameras and humane traps at an additional cost. We can order these items for you to keep or use our equipment while on site.

Travel $40/hour and $0.73/mile

Our base of operations is in 📍Cherry Valley, California. We are willing and able to travel and set up our mobile office in your area.

Are you guaranteed to find my pet?

No. Pet searches are complicated. Your pet might be in a neighbors backyard or in another state. Our specialty, and focus, is eliminating the possibilities that your pet is in an area through forensic investigation which allows us to continually narrow the search. We use professional search and rescue tactics and strategies that are time tested and the standard on professional searches.

Example: The client reports that their pet often wanders into the open field behind their house. We would check for track and sign of the animal in that area by ground search and fly hours of thermal drone missions in that area. We might set up game cameras and set a humane trap with some treats that the animal likes and an article of clothing with your scent on on it. When all of these methods fail we can reasonabley assume that the animal is not in the area and begin to focus our efforts on other possibilities that maybe seem less probable at first. We narrow the search by starting with high probability areas and moving toward the less probable ones. You may not have thought your little Yorkie would cross the freeway, climb a mountain, and end up foraging on a golf course over the hill. It's a low probability, but still a probability that needs to be considered after all high probability areas have been ruled out. An animal under the stress of being lost often acts very differently than they did in your home or a familiar environment. Animals can hide for days to weeks in a fear state and are VERY difficult to detect.

Our services provide a wraparound investigation of your pet's disappearance that forms the basis for further search and provides tools to you and those you recruit to help you. We are available to advise you and support you along the way but, unfortunately, we can't guarantee that we will find your pet. We can guarantee that we have the most resources available of any service and that we will do our best to get your loved one home.