It is estimated that there are as many as one million stray dogs in Houston, Texas. World Animal Awareness Society (WA2S) is working on finding out if that number is accurate and to bring the problem to light through the use of drones.
They are hoping to show people the dire straits these dogs (like Tootsie) are in and get people motivated to do something about it.
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“Counting stray dogs in large urban centers is new,” executive director Tom McPhee told iHeartDogs. “World Animal Awareness Society is creating the science by working with a couple of preeminent epidemiologists from around the world.”
The documentation, called Operation Houston: Stray Dog City, is helping these dogs’ plights be seen as well as saving lives through their rescue partners.
They also find lost pets sometimes.
“We are using the drone specifically to observes and report on dogs that are not attached to people or things,” explains McPhee. “However as our work with the drones becomes more widely known, we are receiving request from people to help locate their lost dogs.”
The following video shows how the drone works to capture stray dogs in the Houston area. The images are quite beautiful and unique – when do you ever get to see what a stray dog is doing when humans are not around?
The Drone
WA2S started using drones back in 2013, but the early attempts were not pretty because the tech wasn’t ready, McPhee says.
Now, they use a DJI Inspire 1 drone because of it’s ease of use. The drone connects to a smartphone or tablet, so they can get real-time updates and GPS to track the dogs on the ground.
The drones do what volunteers can’t, he adds.
“Flying at 250 to 300 feet we are able to observe so much more territory, specifically locales that are inaccessible by foot,” McPhee explains. “Our volunteers can only observe so much from cars travelling along a randomly set path; the drones allow us to survey in more detail.”
In addition to their own program, WAS2 can be hired to document other animal welfare and rescue work, using their Drones or state of the art 4K film making capabilities. Cities can hire them to conduct canine survey to learn about the stray dogs in their area.
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