SmithicAir

12/26/2025

(Edited repost) Merry Christmas everyone! I had the opportunity to meet an incredible dog and family today. Bentley ran through an open door at a relative's house on the 23rd (I believe) and the owner tried to catch him but they lost him. There were sightings 2.3 miles away on the 25th. saw a post on Facebook and searched with a family member using the M30T thermal drone. Bentley was located on the edge of the West Branch DuPage River. The family wanted to recover Bentley that night and they attempted to lure him. Success! Bentley is now home safe and sound. What an incredible way to spend Christmas night!

https://youtu.be/OJntwSt_ULU?si=QsJ_gdrqR_vcyvH0

12/24/2025

Had the opportunity to meet Brandi and her parents today! So happy these clients reached out so I could meet them 10 months after we found Brandi! In many of our successful searches, we do not actually get to meet the dogs we are trying to save. Such a great experience! Thank you Chris and Lauren for making my day!

12/04/2025

Rocco SAFE! Great job team!

The owners were on a plane on the way back to Illinois when they got a call from one of the many social media posts that were out there. She saw a brown dog frolicking in the snow. She also correctly identified the color of Rocco's collar. We were able to get dog search volunteers to the area. Mark P was following tracks and during the search of the area ran into another neighbor that saw Rocco going to the backyard and his property. It was then confirmed that it was Rocco and he was hiding underneath a trailer. Mark started a messenger phone call which allowed the owners to listen in. Rocco's grandpa was already in route with Vito, their other dog. Rocco eventually recognized Vito and the recovery was made. The grandfather, Dave, is on the way to a vet to check Rocco out but Rocco appears to be healthy. (Frostbitten paws, weight loss, exhaustion). The family is on the way for the reunion. This happened off of Carriage Way Drive just north of Bartlett high School. Thank you to everyone who shared the posts and kept your eyes open. Thank you so much to Linda Hartman who gathered the team and Deb who is always helpful. Thank you for trusting the dog search volunteers. Very happy! (To answer some of the questions in the comments... A drone was not used in the recovery. While multiple pilots flew day and night, it was a sighting that ultimately got us here. SmithicAir (darn day job) was not involved or there for the recovery.)

12/02/2025

UPDATE: FOUND SAFE

Searched for Rocco in Bartlett earlier this evening and headed out again. Please check under decks and in any accessible sheds, etc BUT DO NOT APPROACH! Boxers love to run and we don't want him to run into traffic!

10/31/2025

Have I told you that my math staff is pretty great? Halloween celebrated at our school and they decided to dress like the animals I search for! So funny!

10/23/2025

Please support if you can!

10/22/2025

New update 11/13: Paddy has been recovered SAFE!!!

Update: no luck tonight. Let's make Paddy famous. Please report any sightings, don't chase, don't call out, try to take a photo.

Heading out to look for Paddy! Come on Paddy, show yourself!

10/07/2025

Hi All! Mike from SmithicAir here! Thank you for following us on Facebook!

DO YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS to HELP US OUT?!?! We are trying to build our Youtube Channel () to expand our reach and to help save more pets. Please click on the link below, make sure you are signed in to Youtube and then SUBSCRIBE to our channel. It's completely free and really helps us grow! At the time of this post, we are at 106 subscribers... Can we get to 500 by the weekend??? We really appreciate your support!

Ever wonder why we are called SmithicAir? Silly name right? This dates back to when gmail was just starting and I needed a gmail address. Even though I was an early gmail user, all the Smiths were gone. I needed to add something to it. Well, I had just graduated from an excellent, small, private college in Jacksonville Illinois called Illinois College or IC for short. (It is a great school. You should check them out!) I started using smithic for everything and that is the story behind our silly name. Thank you again!

Mike

Mike Smith founded SmithicAir after falling in love with Drones and wanting to help people. Primarily he helps pet owners find their lost pets. Mike is a commercially certified FAA Remote Pilot who utilizes the DJI Matrice 30T (the best thermal enterprise drone available) and the DJI Mavic 3 Classic...