A KIND-HEARTED woman whose efforts to locate missing dogs has resulted in more than 700 pets being reunited with their owners sprang into action again when a beloved pooch fell into a flooded River Dearne.

Erica Hart, from Goldthorpe, runs the Facebook group - HARTSAR - and she was alerted to missing dog Millie’s plight on Sunday.

She quickly arrived to where Millie had fallen into the Dearne, in Bolton-upon-Dearne, and consulted with the fire brigade who were already on the scene.

Having been wading in the icy waters himself in an attempt to save his beloved canine companion, the owner explained to Erica exactly where Millie had fallen in.

Having rescued dogs from the water before, Erica explained to fire brigade officials that the dog could not have reached as far downstream as they had estimated.

With the dog having been in the water for nearly two hours, tension was building and it felt like time was running out to save her.

When Erica used her drone to search for the missing animal, she quickly found her, trapped and losing energy near the riverbank.

After using thermal imaging to confirm that she was likely still alive, the rescue team moved in.

With the help of a local man assisting the team, fire brigade officers were able to pull a tired Millie to safety - much to the relief of everyone present.

Erica told the Chronicle: “I used to fly model aeroplanes and helicopters.

“When drones came out, my dad bought me one.

“One day I came home and my dad said ‘there’s a dog missing around Wombwell, why don’t you see if you can find it?’

“I went out, met the owner and within 20 minutes I’d found the dog.

“Finding Millie felt like winning the lottery.

“Everybody was there, two fire trucks, police and lots of the public who turned out.

“I’ve never seen an operation as big for a dog.

“There were tree trunks flowing down the river and I thought she didn’t have much chance of getting out.

“It was amazing seeing everyone’s reaction when she finally got out.

“Finding a missing dog really is like winning the lottery, it’s priceless.

“Those dogs are part of someone’s family I have found dogs from all over.

“This is far beyond a hobby at this point - I’m just happy that, hopefully, what I do makes a difference.”