Trooper used drone to find 'scared' puppy who hid after darting from vehicle following Brown County crash

BROWN COUNTY -- River the Australian Shepherd will spend Christmas with family after a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper rescued the 3-month-old puppy after a crash in Brown County on Dec. 6 -- when a deer darted into the road.

Wisconsin State Patrol officials posted about the heroic actions of Trooper John Jones on social media. He used a drone to find River.

It all started on Friday morning, Dec. 6, when the dog was riding with its owner on WIS 57. In an effort to avoid the deer, the driver crashed her vehicle into the median and was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. Meanwhile -- River darted from the vehicle after the crash and didn't turn up during an initial search by emergency responders.

A search group was formed with the driver's family and friends. They spent several hours looking for River, to no avail.

Wisconsin State Patrol officials said Trooper Jones responded to the scene and warned the searchers about the dangers of walking along highways. He put his drone in the air in an effort to help search for River.

Trooper Jones soon found a mound of snow-covered grass and paw prints. He walked over and found River hiding in the grass -- scared, but not hurt.

River was taken to an animal hospital as a precaution, and after a checkup, the puppy was reunited with its family.