Morrilton couple reunited with lost dog after drone pilot stops coyote attack

Jordan and Brook Allen, a couple living in Morrilton, were burdened by the thought of never seeing their dog again after it went missing last Saturday.

“Just a loose board in the fence, he pushed his way right through,” Jordan said.

The Allens’ dog, Whiskey, had taken off from their home to a wooded area in Morrilton.

“We had posted a lot of posts on Facebook about him being missing, and somebody posted saying try to get in touch with somebody with a drone,” Brooke said.

They soon ran across Chris Laughlin, the owner of Russellville-based Natural State Drone Solutions. 

“They called me up and they sound pretty desperate,” Laughlin said.

He says he had conducted similar searches before, so he got to work.

“It was kind of perplexing to me I hear a dog out there, but I don’t see it,” Laughlin said. 

After four hours of searching with his drone, Laughlin spotted Whiskey, but something else caught him by surprise.

“There was a coyote on it. My instinct was to get right on the coyote and let the air from the propellers hit that coyote,” Laughlin said.

Thankfully, the drone chased the coyote away, and Whisky was saved.

“When they were able to see the dog and was able to get him home, they were just delighted and that just makes me feel good inside,” Laughlin said.

“There was no way that we would’ve found him without that drone. He saved our family, he’s a part of the family,” The Allens said.