Dog on the run in Australia for 17 days reunites with owners in England
Milo fled before his flight home and was only found two weeks later. The meeting was emotional.
Milo has always been “Daddy’s” boy. The Jack Russell mix is used to going everywhere with his owners Jason Watnall and Nick Rowlands, and on one of his family adventures he did the unthinkable. In April, as he was preparing to return to Wales at Melbourne Airport, he fled and was never seen again.
The trio were in the Australian city to visit Jason’s family and the couple were devastated by their partner’s disappearance. With no news of Milo, she decided to return to Swansea in the United Kingdom and always maintained contact with authorities, friends and family in the region in case the little one reappeared.
Days and weeks passed with no news. For 17 days, Milo explored the hometown of one of his teachers in the suburbs of Melbourne. “We had no sightings for 12 days,” Jason told Sky News. “We didn’t know where he was. So it was very difficult and we lost a little bit of hope,” he admitted.
On social media, Jason and Nick created a page and many volunteers began helping the family, offering a reward for anyone who found the monastery. Almost two weeks later, Milo began to be recognized by residents.
“We started getting messages from people all over the area who kept looking at him,” he shared. “We found out where he was and they prepared a trap. We managed to nab him after 48 hours.
Since his capture, Milo has had a dream life – he’s been pampered and given everything he needs until he’s sent to England. On his last night, he stayed at a dog hotel and with the help of PetraVeller, a company that travels animals to several continents, he had a luxurious experience. The dog traveled first class and on arrival in Swansea, it was taken to the family home in a private van.
“It was amazing to have him back. He was screaming with joy, he was so excited,” the teacher pointed out. “I cried, everyone cried. It was very emotional,” she added. Milo is now back to his routine and getting lots of love from his human “parents” and four-legged friends. No one knows what he did during the 17 days he was gone, but this is because of him. A story that can only be told.
Then click through the gallery to meet Milo and his family.
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Milo.