The temperature was dropping. It was getting late.
But I wasn't about to give up. And neither was Casey.
A hiker had fallen into a deep ditch.
He'd been there for hours.
But the snowfall was so thick, we never would've found him without Casey.
That sounds amazing.
No. It sounds horrible.
Search and rescue is a serious and sometimes dangerous job, Charles.
-I hope my story didn't scare ya. -I wasn't scared.
I just don't like feeling trapped.
And that was pretty much the point of your story.
Actually, I think Meg was trying to convey what an amazing dog Casey is.
-Looks like Casey can speak for herself. -She loves it when we talk about her.
I'm gonna check us into the first aid seminar
before all the good CPR dummies are taken.
I'll be over in a minute. And here's Scout.
-She is so cute. -Thanks for watching her.
The family we placed her with won't pick her up until next week.
-Why can't she be a search and rescue dog? -Scout's very intelligent,
but she failed because she couldn't stay focused.
She seems pretty focused on me.
Even though Scout can't save lives, she makes up for it in cuteness.
She definitely does.
Hey, Meg. How would you feel about bringing Casey to do a demonstration
-for our school Safety Week? -Doesn't your dad do it every year?
That's the thing. The kids already know all his jokes by heart.
I'd love to. I'd never pass up a chance to talk about how great my dog is.
You know, I was afraid of German shepherds when I was your age.
But she is so friendly.
No one could be afraid of you.
That's why she can't be a search and rescue dog.
She was too busy playing instead of focusing on her job.
Which is honestly a little unfair. I mean, she's still so young.
So, I'm gearing up for my Safety Week presentation.
What do you think? Helmet? No helmet?
You must hate being in your work clothes when you're not at work.
Yeah. It must be so embarrassing giving a speech to a bunch of little kids.
No. Wait, are you two embarrassed?
You do know that firefighter is top three on every coolest jobs list, right?
Well, what if a fire breaks out
and they need their bravest lieutenant on the scene?
-Yeah. -Okay. Hold up.
Is this because my hose got tangled last year?
-We asked Meg and Casey to replace you. -Yeah.
Ouch.
We just think having a dog in the presentation will be so cool.
And Meg too.
-Yeah. -We're sorry, Dad.
It's all good.
After so many performances, it is hard to keep it fresh anyways.
One?
-Or seven million? -Just one.
Are you sure you're okay with Meg and Casey taking your place?
Course I am. I get it. Dogs, everything else.
Also, it's hard to hear you talk about going into fires and stuff.
I don't like thinking about you being scared.
Being scared is part of the job.
But I'll tell you what helps me get through it.
I think about what makes me happy, and that's your mom and you two.
What makes you feel happy?
I guess puppies, and grown-up dogs…
and Mom's Christmas chili.
Yeah, there you go.
Good night, Charles.
-Dad, the door. -Sorry. I forgot.
Before we show off Casey's skills, does anybody have any questions?
Yes, a question in the form of a statement.
You didn't mention drones.
Drones are the future of search and rescue.
Drones can locate stranded victims without risking the safety of rescue teams.
She's not here to talk about drones, Russell.
It's okay, Charles. Drones do have an important part in search and rescue,
but they can't do what Casey's about to do.
-Can I get a volunteer? -Me!
Hi, I'm Remy.
-Pleased to meet you. -Hi, Remy. Take this.
It's lovely.
Actually, I want you to let Casey sniff the sweater
-and she'll find its owner. -Okay.
Okay, Casey. Find.
Good girl! You found me.
Come on.
Thanks for helping me out, Lizzie.
Of course. That was so fun.
You know, I'm available for other demonstrations.
-Any time at all. -Likewise.
How amazing is Casey?
Yeah. Search and rescue dogs are great. But so was the Pony Express.
A RacerX drone with thermal imaging would've found you in two seconds.
Maybe, but dogs have an extra smell organ that allows them to find things
-with no odor at all. -Drones can fly.
Dogs can crawl under a fence.
-Drones don't have to go to the vet. -Dogs aren't annoying.
I think drones and dogs both have a lot of value.
But dogs do provide companionship
and look really cute when they have one ear that flops down.
Plus, you can't love a drone.
Oh, really?
Stay strong, Charles.
Then Casey tracked me and practically broke down the shed doors to find me.
My group had to watch Thao's mom stock a hurricane kit with homemade gorp.
-The no-chocolate kind. -No chocolate? No, thank you.
I'm seriously considering a career in search and rescue, like Meg.
I get to travel, help people, and work with dogs.
That sounds perfect for you.
Actually, might be perfect for us. You work with the dogs, I'll travel.
Hi, Charles. Hi, Scout.
Come here, Scout.
-Hi. -She seems pretty focused now.
I bet you could be a search and rescue dog just like Casey.
And you two could be a team.
Let's give it a try.
Smell.
Okay, Charles. Now take Scout, but don't let her see me.
Sure. Come on, Scout.
There's nothing more exciting than a good experiment.
Okay, sweetie. Now find. Find the slipper.
I knew she could do it. Look how happy she is.
See? She can be a search and rescue dog.
We've only got a week, but that's plenty of time to prove it to Meg.
So? How'd it go today?
Did the kids cheer for Meg or politely applaud?
'Cause they always cheer for me.
Honey, stop trying to make the kids feel guilty.
There's my slipper. Where'd you find it?
It wasn't me.
Drones vary in their range, endurance and payload.
Did you know a multi-rotor drone can have up to eight rotors on the platform?
Yeah. That sounds like a lot of rotors.
Yes, it's eight.
I was flying my drone by the park yesterday and saw you walking your dog.
She's not mine.
We're just taking care of her until she goes to her new home.
We're training her to do search and rescue like Casey.
Why bother? By the time she finishes, drone tech will be even more advanced.
You know how I know that?
Because drone tech is always getting more advanced.
Drones are not better than dogs, on any planet, in any universe.
Let's find out. I challenge you to a drone versus dog competition.
-I accept. -You don't even know what it is yet.
Neither do you. You just thought of it.
Okay. We'll hide something and see who finds it first,
your dog or my drone.
If my sister and I are training Scout, I'm pretty sure I know who'll win.
You're on. The park. Saturday morning. 10:00 a.m.
-I can't. -I knew you'd chicken out.
No. My dad makes pancakes on Saturday mornings at 10:00.
-11:00? -I'll be there.
Okay, Scout. You can do this.
Your future is in your own paws.
You're way better than any drone, no matter how incredibly awesome it is.
What? It is.
Follow me, Scout.
Come on, Scout. Come on.
Okay, Scout. Sit. Sit.
Nothing? Really?
Come here, Scout.
Scout, come here. Come here.
Come on, Scout. It's okay.
You can do it.
-So, what now? -We go back to square one.
Scout wasn't good on the basic test,
but she did great on the one that matters most: tracking scent.
-That's not Dad's slipper. -It's Maria's. She's hiding.
Okay, Scout. You're gonna find Maria, right?
Okay, make us proud. Find.
Yes!
No! Now we're back to, like, square negative a thousand.
Meg was right. She's not a search and rescue dog.
She just loves Dad's slipper.
I don't know what's worse.
That we were wrong about Scout or that Russell gets to win.
Definitely being wrong about Scout.
Hey, Lizzie. Hey, Charles. Hope you don't mind I let myself in.
-Hey, Remy. -So, big news.
-My mom finally said I could get a puppy. -That's great, Remy.
But we don't have any fosters at the moment.
Then who's that?
This is Scout, but she's not available.
-She already has a family. -Playing hardball, I see.
Healthy coat. Sweet eyes. And look at the size of those paws.
She's gonna be really big when she's full-grown.
My mom says the dog has gotta fit through the cat door,
so that's gonna be a hard pass.
I'm sorry.
You gonna call Russell to forfeit?
I think the mature thing to do is talk to him in person.
You just wanna play with his drone, don't you?
It's got eight rotors.
Can I come out now?
-Yeah. -Yes.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
Is it the new Falconer 5000 drone?
It's a drone, by the way.
Looks like you're missing something.
Scout woke up with a bad stomachache.
She accidentally ate some potatoes.
Dogs eat potatoes.
In fact, it's a major ingredient in most commercial dog food.
Yeah, I know.
-You're forfeiting, right? -Yep.
-You know that means I win, right? -Yep.
You wanna play with my drone, right?
Totally.
What about you? You can still do search and rescue.
I don't know.
I think I was more excited about it for Scout than for me.
I feel bad for trying to force her to be someone she's not.
An obstacle course, huh?
Actually, this is a failed experiment.
I really thought Scout could make a great search and rescue dog.
If it makes you feel any better, I thought so too.
Thanks. That does make me feel a little better.
Are you here for Scout?
Yeah, I know I'm early, but her new family's ready for her.
Is it okay if we maybe drop her off a little later?
-I know Charles will wanna say goodbye. -Of course.
Thanks for taking such good care of her.
We should go find him. He was so excited to play with Russell's drone,
we don't know when he'll come back.
It usually takes people years to acquire this level of navigational prowess,
but I've mastered it in mere months.
Can I try?
I'll say a reluctant yes, but be careful.
Throttle's on the left, pitch on your right. Use your thumb.
My cousin Becky has one. Yours is way easier to fly.
Okay. My turn again.
No. Just let me land it.
Look what you did!
You grabbed it out of my hand!
First crash ever, thanks to you!
Me? I was flying it really well.
I'd climb up and get it, but I'm not good with heights.
Not that I ever needed to be, because I had a drone.
Come on. I bet there's a rake or something in the shed.
See. Told you.
I can't open the door. The latch must've dropped!
What? We're locked in?
I can't believe it.
What are we gonna do now?
I-- I don't know.
-Help! Help! Help! -Help! Help! Help!
We're the only ones here.
Yeah. I don't even see a drone in the sky. Where are they?
Lizzie.
Okay. Now I'm worried.
Charles!
Not now, Scout. This isn't tug-of-war.
What is she doing?
I-- Scout, get back here!
I wish we had a flashlight.
The drone has night vision, but that won't help us now.
What if no one finds us?
Someone will.
You know, when I'm scared,
I think about dogs and my mom's Christmas chili.
-Why don't you try it? -Why would I think about your mom's chili?
I've never even had it.
I meant try thinking about something that makes you really happy.
Well, I do like--
Aside from drones.
I was gonna say playing basketball.
Really? Me too. Maybe we could shoot some hoops together sometime.
I don't know. The last thing we did together didn't go so well.
-Where'd she go? -Who knows?
I can't believe I lost a little brother and a puppy in the same day.
A search and rescue career is so not in my future.
Look.
Scout!
I bet if we each shot 100 free throws every day after school,
we would definitely make the middle school team in a few years.
Yeah, if we both have really, really huge growth spurts.
By the way, it was my fault the drone crashed.
Yeah, I know.
Wait. I hear something.
Help.
-Help! -We're locked in. Help!
-Help! -Help!
Charles?
-Charles? -Scout!
-Are you guys okay? -Yeah.
How'd you find us?
It was Scout. She sniffed Charles's hat and searched and rescued.
I knew I was right about her.
Thanks, Scout.
I have to admit, there are some things a dog can do that drones can't.
Yeah, like lick your face when they find you.
Hi.
It was all Scout. She didn't give up until she found them.
That's just as good as any of my stories.
You were right, Lizzie. Little Scout had it in her all along.
We were right. You believed in Scout too.
Meg, if Scout failed all her training tests,
how was she able to find Charles and Russell?
A great search and rescue dog will step up in an emergency.
She must've sensed there was real danger and trusted her instincts.
I'm gonna work with her more and have her tested and reevaluated.
Wow. So, if she passes--
When she passes.
When she passes, will she live with you?
As long as Casey's good with it.
I'd say that's a yes.
Yeah.
Hey. Pretty crazy day, huh?
Tell me about it.
Russell said he was really scared. He was lucky to have you there.
It's weird. I was scared too. But then I thought about what Dad told me.
You know, you and Scout, you're a lot alike.
You both stepped up when it really mattered.
Yeah, I guess we did.
-Good night, Charles. -Night.
Hey, Lizzie?
Yeah?
You can close it all the way.