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A few months ago, Taylor Salazar of Cripple Creek, Colorado lost her fur baby, Farah. The golden retriever was purchased in 2019 as a companion for her husband, Fili Salazar, who had terminal cancer. When he passed away, three months later, Farah brought the entire family a lot of joy and comfort.
“We needed something to brighten up our household,” said Taylor. “And she did just that. He was in love with her the minute he saw her.”
In 2022, Farah was riding in Taylor’s father’s car when he had an accident. In the commotion, Farah became scared and ran off into the woods somewhere near U.S. 50 and Colorado 9. This area is extremely rural and dark, with lots of cars. They searched and searched, but Farah was nowhere to be found.
Months later, Taylor was convinced Farah was still alive in the woods somewhere. People had even captured her on their security cameras drinking water from animal troughs, but she ran away whenever someone got near her.
It wasn’t until a dispatcher at the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office heard the story that Taylor finally got a break in the missing dog case. The Sheriff’s Office planned a training mission with their drone, and it seemed like a good opportunity to search the area where Farah was last seen.
Deputies set up their equipment and launched the drone. Mere minutes later, they had Farah in their sights!
Using the camera’s infrared lens, deputies tracked the dog and called Taylor. Taylor arrived with chicken to lure the dog towards her.
“She stuck her head through the barbed wire fence, and then the next minute she’s laying in my lap and I was like, ‘I got her!'” said Taylor happily.
Farah is now back home, but she will need to have one of her legs amputated because it’s badly injured. She may have been hit by a car when she was lost. She has also lost half her body weight, but Taylor is happy to get her fattened back up with lots of good food and treats.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office was happy to reunite Farah with her family, writing on Facebook, “UAS team was able to practice some very valuable search and rescue techniques with our drone!”
It’s wonderful when people find a way to merge practice with real-life needs! Thank goodness that dispatcher thought of Farah when they were planning their drone training session. Taylor thinks her late husband had something to do with the timing, and she might just be right!
Share this story to welcome Farah home.
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