A beloved dog that escaped a pet transport company near Melbourne Airport while getting ready to fly to London has been found.
Milo the Jack Russell X had been missing for 17 days after he escaped his carers who were moving him from his cage.
His relieved owner Jason Whatnall wrote on Facebook that “Milo has been safely recovered and is now on his way to the Vet for check over. Thank you everyone for sharing this around and helping to locate and capture my little boy!! So so happy.”
Mr Whatnall has been residing in the UK since March and put out a desperate call for people to help find his much loved pet after it went missing.
Speaking on Sunrise, Mr Whatnall said animal rescuer Nigel Williamson led a team of people who spent hours laying scent trails, leaving food traps and monitoring the airport for any sign of the missing dog.
After Milo received lots of media coverage, multiple reports of the missing pet started coming in from people who had seen him.
“That really helped pinpoint where Milo was hiding out,” Mr Whatnall said.
“My stinky little rascal boy went into the trap a few times and eventually it worked.”
He received a phone call about 9pm on Thursday night from Mr Williamson who told him, ‘we’ve got your little boy.’
“I basically had a cry,” Mr Whatnall said.
“I was so over the moon and just relieved I am going to get him back.”
Mr Whatnall said Milo was now in the care of a company called Pet Travellers after their chief executive officer reached out to him.
Milo was taken to a vet for a checkup and to make sure that he was in good health after 17 days on the run.
“He was a bit worse for wear after being on the loose for 17 days so we will just give him some love and care for the next 48 hours so he can recover from the ordeal,” Mr Whatnall said.
While Mr Whatnall is feeling relieved, Milo will be boarding a flight early next week to be reunited with his thrilled owner.
“I just can’t wait to grab him and hold him in my arms.”