Lost dogs: Award for founder of Facebook drone group

The founder of a Facebook group which has helped to return thousands of lost dogs to their owners using drones has been given a top accolade.

Former newspaper photographer Graham Burton will receive the International Fund for Animal Welfare Award.

The 66-year-old from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, set up Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK, which uses volunteers and drones to locate missing animals.

He described reuniting owners with their pets as "the best feeling ever".

Mr Burton told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "It's amazing when you've reunited an owner with its dog.

"Even though it's not my dog, or any of the admins' dog, they get a feeling of joy and it's over and over again because we're so successful in what we do."

The group uses a network of volunteer and drones to find animals.

When an owner becomes aware that their pet is missing, they will post to the group and one of the administrators will contact them to get as much information about the dog as possible.

They will then start arranging for drone operators and ground volunteers to join the search.

Mr Burton said: "You can cover areas where people can't walk - cliff faces, or large areas of fields that would normally take hours to search by foot can be done in 20 minutes or half an hour by using a drone."

The group, which now has more than 64,000 members, has been responsible for reuniting more than 2,750 dogs with their distressed owners.

It comprises a volunteer network of more than 3,000 drone pilots and more than 2,500 ground searchers across the UK and Ireland.

Reacting to the recognition, Mr Burton - who will be presented with the award at the House of Lords on Wednesday - added: "I thought it was a wind-up, to be honest. It's a privilege and an honour.

"I am absolutely over the moon."