After escaping from the clutches of a transport worker’s hands, Milo the Jack Russell has been found in Tullamarine, with a reunion now in sight for his loving owner Jason.
Jason Whatnall, 35, had packed up his life to move to Swansea, Wales, to be with his partner, Nick.
On Monday, March 18, the couple dropped their Jack Russell, Milo, off to international pet transport company AeroPets, expecting they would be reunited as a family of three in Wales.
However, things didn’t go to plan, and Milo escaped his handlers and took off into an industrial estate near the airport.
Relatives, friends and a professional animal handler spent 18 days searching for Milo, with Jason waiting anxiously in Wales for news of his beloved pet.
The canine escapee made headlines around the country, with broadcast and print media jumping on the story.
Milo was eventually enticed into a special cage with strategically placed doggy treats on Thursday 4 April.
Mr Whatnall always remained positive, but felt that AeroPets should have taken a more careful and thorough approach when transporting Milo.
“He is a little ball of energy and loves an adventure. I’m not looking to name, blame and shame the company because for the past 14 days they’ve had a team of people searching around the clock,“ he told Star Weekly, while Milo was still on the run.
“I’ve been told Milo escaped from his crate while a dog handler was trying to put a leash on him, he became distressed and nipped the worker and ran off.
“It’s very out of character for Milo, he is usually such a gentle, friendly dog.”
A spokesperson for AeroPets told other media the company has worked tirelessly to assist in the search for Milo.
“We handed out hundreds of flyers in the area to neighbourhoods and businesses to assist and put food and cameras out in the night to help and have engaged social media groups,” the spokesperson said.
“We advised the owners what happened immediately who came in and helped with the search for a few hours. The owners of Milo then took a flight out of Australia before finding Milo.“
