Rob Russell and Carmen Brothers aren’t superheroes, but it would be tough to convince Dawn Elwell of Raymond otherwise.
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| Rob Russell of 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services, left, and K9 Finely and Carmen Brothers of Professional Pet Trackers, helped to find Pearl, a 2-year-old dog who became lost in Raymond earlier this month. COURTESY PHOTO |
He is a former police officer and U.S. Army infantryman who was wounded in combat in Afghanistan. He now owns a drone equipped with thermal technology that can be used in searches for missing people and pets. Russell holds a FAA Part 107 Commercial Drone License, and he launched his business several years ago with a desire to assist people in searches and inspire them to not give up when all appears hopeless.
“I realized I was on to something nobody else was doing in New England,” he said. “Our fees are based on hours flown and distance driven.”
Russell contacted Brothers of Professional Pet Trackers of Virginia to assist in the search for Pearl, and she brought along her almost 2-year-old black lab named K9 Finley whom Brothers had trained and has been working on cases with her since December.
“While I was aware of Rob and his company 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services, we did not meet or work together until March 2025 for a Yorkie named Leo that was lost in Greenville, Maine,” Brother said. “Throughout the search for Leo, we found that his drone abilities paired with my tracking dogs provided a larger, more complete picture to lost pet owners. What the drone may be unable to see or pick up, if an animal is under something or has left the area entirely, a tracking dog would be able to pick up on and pinpoint the location an animal may be hiding in. Or at the bare minimum, a tracking dog can give you a direction of travel which will allow a more thorough action plan to be put in place and may even help determine a new area for the drone to cover.”
She has been helping reunite lost pets for roughly 15 years.
“I volunteered for a rescue, City Dogs Rescue in Washington, D.C., and they lost a dog,” Brother said. “I was assisting in search efforts such as flyers, community outreach, and eventually brought in a K9 tracker to assist in locating Maddie. Once Maddie was located, I continued to serve as one of their two lost dog coordinators. In 2015 I began volunteering with a non-profit based in Baltimore, Maryland where I was able to learn more about utilizing K9 tracking dogs to locate lost pets. Roughly one year later I was approached by National Geographic Wild and offered a featured role in their upcoming docuseries, Trackers, however I would have to quit my fulltime job in Human Resources and commit to filming fulltime. I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so accepted their offer, and never went back to Human Resources after that.”
The search for Pearl presented unique challenges to both 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services and Professional Pet Trackers.
“When Pearl initially went missing there were many people out searching and calling for her which while that is people’s first instinct to do, it actually hinders the search,” Brothers said. “When dogs go missing, they go into what is known as flight mode, meaning that everything and everyone is predatory. Their animal instincts kick in and their goal is food, water, and staying away from perceived threats, which can unfortunately even apply to their owners. While at home they typically come running when called, in flight mode all they hear is a loud noise and that can scare them out of the area even further. The community wanted to help, which is amazing, but we had to redirect their efforts into a productive task, such as hanging flyers rather than driving around and actively searching for Pearl.”
Russell said that initial efforts to find Pearl revealed that she kept coming back to an area in Raymond with foot traffic.
“We needed the dog to settle down and get comfortable, but she kept running into people creating a higher state of anxiety for her,” he said.
“Reuniting Pearl with Dawn was truly a team effort,” Brothers said. “Dawn had done everything we recommended and then some. She had flyers posted in the community, she was working on actively maintaining feeding stations and following up on all sightings. Between her dedication, K9 Finley giving us the area that Pearl was hiding in, Rob giving us the eyes in the sky ensuring that we were not missing anything, and Jess Jackson with Lake Region Animal Control providing boots on the ground trapping support, we knew it was only a matter of time until Pearl was safe at home.”
Russell said during their extensive search they had to figure out where Pearl was bedding down and hiding.
Pearl was ultimately recovered roughly 18 hours after they finished the tracking activities, and the drone was landed.
“While Pearl was not physically recovered while on the actual track, she was recovered directly on K9 Finley’s track,” Brothers said.
Both Brothers and Russell say finding Pearl was a team effort and they thanked Jackson for her help, Maine Lost Dog Recovery and the community for their assistance.
“No one person is the hero here, we were all just cogs in the wheel,” Russell said. “The bottom line for me is if I’m part of the team involved in a rescue, it’s one of the best feelings in the world, and it’s amazing and it’s why we do this.”
Brothers said that every successful reunion with a lost pet is different, but each one brings a deep sense of purpose and gratitude for her.
“Seeing the moment of reunion – when a scared, tired pet is reunited back into the arms of their family – is something that never gets old,” she said. “It is like watching a miracle unfold right in front of you, you can literally feel the heartbreak turn into joy and it is amazing to know you were a part of that story.”
Elwell said she could not be more appreciative for Russell and Brothers and K9 Finley’s work in bringing Pearl back home.
“This was probably one of the most distraught and scared I have been in my whole life,” she said. “I was lucky to have Carmen as well as 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services recommended to me. Carmen, Finely and Rob never faltered from compassion, reassurance and more so skill and knowledge.”
On Sunday, May 4, she received a phone call informing her that Pearl had been found in a trap using Elwell’s sweatshirt.
“That feeling was something I had dreamt about for the longest five days of my life,” she said. “I do not believe I could have done this without this team of experts.”
To see photos of the search for Pearl, visit 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services on Facebook. <
