A Drone, a Puppy, and the Best of Community

A Moment That Says Everything

There’s a moment in this story that stays with you.

It’s dark. The temperature has dropped. Snow is starting to fall. A young puppy has been missing for more than twenty-four hours, and hope is beginning to feel thin. Then a drone lifts into the night sky, its quiet hum cutting through the cold. A thermal camera scans the ground below.

And suddenly — there he is.

A small heat signature. Alive. Two blocks from home.

That moment is what Living Civics looks like.

Not Politics — People

Living civics isn’t legislation or slogans. It’s not something debated on cable news or argued over online. It’s people stepping forward with the skills they have to help someone they don’t know — simply because they can.

In this case, it was the USAR Drone Team, a veteran-founded nonprofit based in Manasquan, answering a call when a family was running out of options.

Service That Runs Deep

USAR’s founder, Michael Parziale, built the organization in honor of his father, a World War II veteran. That detail matters. Service, once learned, doesn’t disappear — it gets passed down. It shows up in unexpected moments, like a freezing winter night spent searching for a frightened five-month-old puppy named Shade.

Shade had bolted after being startled on a walk. Neighbors searched. Familiar-smelling clothes were left outside. Friends tried to help. Nothing worked. Still, no one gave up.

That persistence is civics, too.

Skill Meets Compassion

When USAR arrived, the work wasn’t instant. For nearly twenty minutes, the drone’s thermal camera picked up wildlife near the woods. False leads. Flickers of “maybe.” Then the image they were hoping for appeared.

Michael used a principle learned through experience: start close to home and work outward. Lost animals rarely travel far.

Shade was found just two blocks away.

When a family member called his name, the puppy came running.

Forty-one minutes.

That’s all it took once the right people showed up.

Why This Story Matters

Michael later described the reunion as “cinematic,” and it was. But the real power of the story isn’t the technology or the speed. It’s the posture behind it.

USAR doesn’t charge for rescues. They rely on donations. They don’t seem to turn people away. They show up because they believe preserving life — any life — matters.

In a world that often feels divided, rushed, and harsh, this story reminds us of something quieter and stronger: goodness is still everywhere.

The Lesson of Living Civics

Living Civics is the understanding that we all have something to offer — time, expertise, calm in a crisis, compassion — and that using it strengthens our communities in ways no policy ever could.

Shade went home that night. Cold, scared, but safe.

And the rest of us were reminded that when service meets kindness, and skill meets heart, extraordinary things can happen — sometimes in just forty-one minutes.

That’s Living Civics.