Luck of the Irish? Drone operator finds missing dog 'Guinness' on St. Patrick's Day in New Jersey

SOUTH AMBOY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A New Jersey family's beloved dog is lucky to be alive after it got loose, was hit by a car and then went missing for two days.

On Friday night, the Van Sant family's two dogs, Sophie and Guinness, got loose from their South Amboy home.

Sophie was caught pretty quickly, but Guinness was hit by a car and ran into some nearby woods.

"I stopped breathing. I couldn't catch my breath. I started screaming and they had to calm me down," said Mary Van Sant. "Knowing that he's out there hurting because he got hit by the car or hungry, cold because it did get cold at night."

Friends and family searched, but Guinness couldn't be found.

The family then contacted a nonprofit, called the U.S.A.R. Drone Team, which specializes in finding missing people and pets, among other things.

"I had to find the dog because she kept crying and my arm was getting soaked," said Michael Parziale, founder of the U.S.A.R. Drone Team. "So I said 'I've got to find this dog for them."

They searched for two days without any luck, until Parziale spotted Guinness on St. Patrick's Day and directed the Van Sant's to the dog.

Some could say it was the luck of the Irish.

"He knew it was us but he was scared," Van Sant said.

Guinness needs surgery on his knee and he's got some other injuries as well, but he's going to be okay.