A South Yorkshire dog search and rescue group is raising money to buy a new thermal drone in memory of a late dog who died in a collision earlier this year.
Springer Spaniel Darcy died in March 2025, after her family car was crashed into on the M1 Southbound in Sheffield.
“We want Darcy’s memory to live on,” Craig Dent, 59, organiser of the fundraiser said. “My main objective was to remember this poor dog that died in the car crash.”
Volunteer group K9-RSQ helped to rescue the family’s other dog, German shepherd Athena, after she fled from the scene and ran into Rotherham along the M18.
Athena was eventually found through the use of drones, surveillance cameras, on ground searches and feed stations.
The group are now raising money to buy a new thermal all weather drone in Darcy’s memory, which they hope will be able to help in saving more pets.
Mr Dent said: “We can fly in strong wind and rain. It will also have much better camera quality and the thermal element is quite critical in drone searches”
The thermal camera will allow them to identify the dogs through white dots of movement, possibly bringing the pets home faster.
They currently use food like roast chicken and sausage rolls as bait to lure the dogs into traps or slip leads.
He said: “If you know what you’re doing and where the dog is, we will invariably catch it.”
The group is made up of volunteers who work from home and they do not take any money from owners for successful searches.
Their work is instead funded by voluntary donations.
Mr Dent said that their love for pets is what keeps them going, even in searches that last for long periods of time.
“We had one last year that was lost for three weeks and her owner was obviously ecstatic [when we found her]. The satisfaction you get from safely getting a dog back especially after that length of time – it’s amazing.”
Mr Dent plans to continue raising money for the drone and further equipment that the group may need through the name ‘Team Darcy’.
If you’d like to find out more, you can go to the Darcy’s Drone Fundraiser Facebook page or you can donate to the GoFundMe page.