What, you might wonder, is this vast and expensive team looking for? Not lost jewels, money, or even a child but Paris Hilton's beloved teacup chihuahua Diamond Baby.
Drones hover silently across the LA skyline. A small army of search parties fans out, painstakingly hunting every square inch of the landscape. Other searchers go door-to-door across the city's exclusive Mulholland Estates, looking for clues.
This week, the heartbroken socialite and hotel chain heiress launched the biggest dog hunt in Hollywood history, enlisting an army of canine psychics, dog whisperers, and pet detectives in a desperate attempt to track down her lost six-year-old 'daughter.'
Such is the sophistication of the hunt that one expert told The Mail on Sunday the search is likely to cost Paris 'upwards of £10,000 a day.'
On top of that, the 41-year-old has offered a reward of $10,000 (£9,200) for returning her pet, who went missing last Wednesday, with 'no questions asked.'
She posted online: 'We are in contact with six credible pet psychic/communicators who have all told me she is alive, which gives me some hope.'
That may stretch the definition of 'credible' to its limits, but nothing about this endeavor is normal.
Lives in the dog residence
Her tiny 6lb pooch lives in her own £280,000 'doggie mansion,' wears a £35,000 diamond-encrusted collar, and has a wardrobe stuffed with Chanel dog sweaters and mini Hermes handbags. As part of the hunt, Paris, worth a reported £260 million, is understood to have been told to hang her worn underwear in trees in the hope her scent will lure her dog back.
One neighbor in the gated Mulholland Estate, nestled in the Santa Monica mountains with sweeping views of LA told The Mail on Sunday: 'We are used to lost dog posters. But this is on another level. There have been drones and people going door-to-door asking if we've seen anything or have security footage that might help. People are out late at night with flashlights.'
Diamond Baby has united a deeply divided nation, with #FindDiamondBaby trending on social media. A source at Fox News said: 'It's the one thing everyone is talking about, and everyone wants to see Diamond Baby get home safely.'
Jason Denson, the owner of Drone Tech Aerial, told how his team uses £2,800 aircraft with zoom lenses to scour the area.
What Denson said
Denson, who usually works on big-budget Hollywood movies and commercials for brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, said: 'This isn't our normal work, but I want to help. We can see something as small as a squirrel in dense foliage from 200ft up.'
But so far, his drones have picked up no activity.
Diamond Baby disappeared while Paris was away at a photoshoot and removal men were at her £8 million Beverly Hills home. 'One of the movers must have left a door open,' she wrote. 'My heart is broken. I have been in tears, so sad and depressed. It feels like part of me is missing. I'm doing everything in my power to get her back. Diamond Baby is my everything, truly like a daughter to me. We were inseparable. She was my best friend and always by my side.'
Some have suggested Diamond Baby may have been targeted by thieves as 'dog-napping' is on the rise in LA. Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot last year during an attempt to seize two of her French bulldogs. A source close to Paris said: 'She hasn't ruled out someone taking the dog. If she has been dognapped she will give anything to get her back.'
What has Paris delivered?
However, the source admits that any potential criminal has yet to get in contact, 'which is weird.' This absence of concrete leads has led Paris to enlist psychics. LA-based pet 'communicator' Martha Malone charges £275 an hour to 'talk' to missing pets and says: 'Paris will have handed over things like toys, dog blankets, collars. Anything connected physically and spiritually to Diamond Baby. As a psychic, you connect with the animal's energy, and once you have that connection, you can talk to the missing dog.'
What America's leading detective said
Meanwhile Babs Fry, America's top 'pet detective,' had more practical tips. She declined to comment on specific cases but said: 'It's about thinking like a dog. In most cases, it's the human who needs help. Dogs are programmed to survive. You have to do things to draw the dog home. Drench a tree in chicken broth. Leave the door open. Hang dirty underwear in trees so when the breeze blows the dog will smell your scent. Put smelly socks near an open front door. Dogs will come home if they can.'
Over the years, Paris has had more than a dozen puppies including Tinkerbell. Her beloved first chihuahua, who died in 2015. Diamond Baby is the 'top dog' in her current pack, which includes four miniature Pomeranians (Princess Paris, Ether Reum, Crypto. And Cutesie) and a miniature Siberian husky, Livingston.
So adored is Diamond Baby that she lives in a two-story replica of Paris's seven-bedroom Spanish-style mansion. Complete with mini chandeliers, a spiral staircase, and air conditioning. And, of course, she has her own social media account.
A family source said: 'Diamond Baby goes everywhere with Paris. She flies in the private jet, and she besots Parisorget Pedigree Chum. The source revealed: 'She doesn't eat regular dog food, and it'sit'sit'sit's all human food, delivered to the house.'
What did Diamond Baby win?
Each haute couture season, Diamond Baby acquires a fresh wardrobe of sweaters and dog coats from luxury fashion brands such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Her toys are Gucci, and her dog bowl is Hermes. Diamonds adorn her collar, and a 'BFF' (Best Friends Forever) logo dangles from it. The dog even has designer handbags – mini Hermes Birkin bags costing up to £9,000 each. When the chihuahua recently starred in an advert for the family hotel firm. She was decked in a pink dress and crystal-embossed bow tie. The advert showed Paris strolling through the lobby of the Hilton-owned Waldorf Astoria in New York with Diamond Baby under her arm.
Some experts fear this gilded life may have come to a grizzly end, thanks to the increasingly-aggressive packs of wild coyotes that have been coming into residential areas following a record heatwave. Pet detective Landa Coldiron added: 'Sadly, the drought means coyotes are desperate to find food and water. '
She solved a recent case when a Maltipoo disappeared from a residential driveway. Her trained Jack Russell discovered the poor creature's skull and collar on a nearby wildlife trail. The victim of a coyote who snatched it while the owner was just feet away with his back turned.
Ms. Coldiron said while teacup dogs such as Diamond Baby usually cling to their owners, 'in this case Paris was away and there were workmen around which may have stressed the dog out, causing her to run.'
Eyebrows have had a great cost
While eyebrows have been raised at the vast cost of the operation to find Diamond Baby. The heiress's love for her animals is unquestionable. Dogs have been her one constant over a chequered history with sex, drugs, and failed relationships with stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio.
In a recent interview, Paris said her 'Barbie airhead' persona was a facade, calling it a 'defense mechanism' which helped her hide childhood trauma, including abuse. Her dogs, she said emotionally, were her salvation. 'They are like family.'
Last week, she added: 'Anyone who has ever loved a pet and lost a pet will understand this pain that I'm feeling.'
She has also posted an Instagram video with clips of Diamond Baby set to sad music. 'My name is Diamond Baby, and I'm lost. I've been missing since last week,' says the voiceover. 'I miss my family. Have you seen me? Please help me to get back home.' But despite the fortune and workforce dedicated to the hunt, the team has drawn a blank. Last night a source said: 'There have been few calls, few leads. It isn't looking good. Everyone desperately wants this to have a happy Hollywood ending.'
