Community, thermal drones help bring missing dog Susie home after Park City search

Susie rests at home after being rescued Tuesday following a two-day community search that included trail sightings, volunteers and thermal drone support. Photo: Michael Krakovsky

PARK CITY, Utah — Susie is home.

After two days of searching, multiple sightings, two all-nighters, and a thermal drone operation, a skittish dog who escaped from a local dog facility was rescued Tuesday after drawing help from people across the Park City community.

Susie, a rescue dog with a history of fearfulness and escape behavior, got loose Sunday evening after jumping a roughly 6 1/2-foot fence during a regular play session, according to David Kitchen, owner of Rocky Mountain K9. Kitchen said Susie had been to the facility many times before, but something appeared to startle her.

“She just got frantic and cleared the fence,” Kitchen said.

From there, Susie took off through the Highway 40 corridor and into the Round Valley area, leading to sightings near trails, roads, and open space over the next two days. Kitchen said community members began calling and posting sightings, while others went out looking on foot, by e-bike, and even with their own drones.

“I really want to thank the Park City community,” Kitchen said. “Hundreds of people stepped up who didn’t know me, didn’t know the owner, and didn’t know Susie. They were just willing to help.”

Kitchen said Susie had been adopted as a young puppy from a reservation and had been “feral” when her owner first got her. Though she had training and was familiar with the facility, he said she remained a nervous dog, prone to regressing under stress.

After Susie escaped, Kitchen said he and others searched through the night. Susie’s owner, Michael Krakovsky, flew back from California and arrived around 3 a.m. to join the effort. Kitchen said the search eventually included thermal drone experts brought in to help locate Susie at night.

The drone, Kitchen said, was equipped with a thermal camera and spotlight. Searchers used it to identify heat signatures in dark areas, then move close enough to confirm whether the animal was Susie.

“We actually spotted her on the drone and were able to get a good reference to where she was at,” Kitchen said.

The drone helped track Susie’s movement near the Rail Trail and Prospector area, where Kitchen said she had crossed near Kearns Boulevard multiple times. Sightings also came in from Round Valley and other nearby areas. The goal, Kitchen said, was not just to chase her, but to understand where she was moving so searchers could make a plan.

“She was very much in flight mode,” Kitchen said.

On Tuesday, another sighting helped Krakovsky position himself where he could reach Susie. She was found in the area between the hospital and the Trailside trailhead near Silver Creek, Kitchen said.

In a public post after Susie was rescued, Krakovsky thanked the Park City community, his two daughters, and Kitchen for the effort to bring her home.

“Thank you all for exemplifying the goodness in people,” Krakovsky wrote. “My family has been so moved by the outpouring of support and people taking to the trails in search of Miss Susie.”

Krakovsky said Susie would be checked by a mobile veterinarian and would soon be getting a GPS tracker.

Kitchen said the search showed him something larger than one missing dog.

“People were kind and generous and uplifting and supportive,” Kitchen said. “It was really good to see the community acting as one.”

For Kitchen, the response was a reminder of how quickly people can mobilize when something vulnerable is in danger.

“It’s really reassuring to see that people are still willing to stand up in today’s age,” he said. “Whether it’s another dog that runs away, a natural disaster, or a community member in need, people are willing to step up.”