She saw a post about a missing dog. An hour later, she launched a drone.

Doges Editorial · 2026-05-31 · 5 min read

Sam Haney's Labrador retriever was swept downstream in Henderson County floodwaters on May 26. By the following evening, a volunteer drone operator had spotted him — stranded between rushing water and dense thicket — after seeing his owner's Facebook post and acting on it.

Sam Haney and his girlfriend Kristen Honeycutt had been to Cane Creek near Fletcher Park before. It's the kind of spot you find after you move somewhere with dogs — a stretch of water that's usually calm enough to let them splash around without much concern. On May 26, they brought their three Labrador retrievers there for an afternoon in the park. The creek was running differently than usual, but they didn't realize how differently until the dogs were already in.

Three Labradors and a Creek That Wasn't What It Seemed

Henderson County had been hit with heavy rainfall. Cane Creek, which typically runs ankle-deep at that stretch, had risen to nearly six feet. The Labs jumped into the water before Haney or Honeycutt could reach them. "We have three Labrador retrievers, and they jumped into the water before we could get to them," Haney told WLOS News 13 on May 29. The current was strong. Honeycutt fought it to get the dogs to the bank, managing to pull two of them through the briars and thicket on the far side. The third dog, Monchu, was a different story.

While the group was working to get one of the other dogs — Ava — through the dense vegetation on the bank, Monchu found his way back into the water. He didn't know where else to go. By the time Haney and Honeycutt realized what had happened, Monchu had been swept further downstream. They ran the bank. They called. There was nothing.

A Night of Searching

They searched for hours. They posted flyers. Kristen's mother put a post on Facebook that spread quickly through local Henderson County community groups. "Kristens' mom put out a Facebook post that spread like crazy," Haney said. People shared it, tagged friends, kept eyes along the water. But the evening turned to night, and there was still no confirmed sighting of Monchu. The couple went to sleep not knowing.

The next evening — May 27 — Haney received a message through social media. It was from a woman named Bree Day-Bottai, who lived nearby, had seen the Facebook post, and had a drone.

One Post. One Decision.

Day-Bottai had been following the post since it went up in one of the local Hendersonville groups. When she checked back that evening and saw that Monchu still hadn't been found, her response was immediate. She didn't deliberate about whether to get involved. She commented with her contact information, got in touch with Haney and Honeycutt, and arranged to meet them at Fletcher Park.

It was just, 'Oh, well this is what I'm doing after work now.' I commented with my information and I was in touch with Sam and Kristen pretty quickly after.

— Bree Day-Bottai, volunteer drone operator

Day-Bottai had the skill and equipment to do something concrete. The previous sightings reported by others hadn't been photo-verified, so she didn't want to rely on them as her starting point. She wanted to begin where the dog had entered the water and work downstream methodically from there.

Launching from the Dog Park

The leads they'd gotten weren't photo verified, so really where he went in was where I needed to start flying. I launched from the dog park nearby and just started slowly searching and sweeping downstream.

— Bree Day-Bottai

Within minutes of launching, Day-Bottai had eyes on Monchu. The drone found him stranded on a narrow strip between the rushing water on one side and dense vegetation on the other. He couldn't push through the thicket without getting badly cut. He'd been stuck there for roughly thirty-six hours.

Stranded Between the Water and the Thicket

"He was stranded between rushing water on his right and thicket on his left. It was so dense he couldn't make it through, not without having gotten cut up," Day-Bottai said. Once she had the location locked, she directed the search group on the ground toward him. One member of the team — Cole Burroughs — pushed through the thicket first and reached Monchu. Within minutes, the dog was out and being brought back to the group.

The reunion happened quickly and with the kind of full-body relief that doesn't get filtered for social media. Haney and Honeycutt were there. Burroughs was there. Day-Bottai, from her position with the drone, watched it happen.

Cried Like an Absolute Baby

When I saw Monchu come through the other side of the thicket and into the search group, I landed (my drone), then cried like an absolute baby. It was incredible. Between seeing the community come together, the dedication and fight Sam and Kristen showed for their pup — it was inspiring and overwhelming in the best way. There were so many hugs and happy tears.

— Bree Day-Bottai

It's worth noting what made this rescue possible: a Facebook post, a drone, and a person who saw an opportunity to help and took it without needing to be asked twice. Drones have quietly become one of the more effective tools in dog search-and-rescue. They cover ground faster than people on foot, can see over vegetation that would take a human an hour to navigate, and can operate in low light. Day-Bottai wasn't part of any official rescue organization. She was a neighbor who showed up with her equipment and her time.

You don't have to live near a flood-prone creek to recognize the particular fear of watching a dog get into trouble near water — that moment where familiar conditions turn dangerous faster than you can react. Cane Creek looked like it always did, right up until it didn't. The community that found Monchu is still one of the most powerful tools available when something goes wrong. But it starts with someone paying attention, noticing what's changed, and choosing to do something about it.