Missing a member of the family: Milo - Capital City Free Press

Volume 5, Issue 11, November 2006

Missing a member of the family:
Milo

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Kristin M. Thomas
Senior Writer
Capital City Free Press

Serving their country runs in the Carollo family. Frank Carollo, employed by the U.S. Navy, and his family were able to evacuate their home in St. Bernard Parish prior to Hurricane Katrina's landfall. Franks’ brother instead chose to stay behind in Arabi and serve his community as a National Guardsman in the aftermath of the storm. He was assigned to the chaos of the Superdome during most of the hurricane and its aftermath. Frank’s dog Milo stayed behind with Frank’s brother.

As the water levels rose, Frank’s brother was ordered to go home and save Milo but by then, the water had drowned both Arabi and St. Bernard Parishes and made any attempts at rescue by ground impossible. After the levees failed in St. Bernard Parish, the Carollo family’s community was devastated, their home was destroyed and all of their possessions were lost forever. The neighborhood where Milo was sheltering the storm had not faired any better. According to Jane Morgan, an Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) volunteer, Arabi had been battered and bruised by the hurricane and floodwaters. She described an environmental nightmare of epic proportions: “An oily sludge covered the streets and ground where I walked to leave food for animals. The streets were silent. It was as if a bomb had gone off in every single house and had blown all of the contents out into the street and every resident had vanished.” Yet many animals had survived, evidenced by the empty cans and bags of food that had been left for them.

When asked about the government response to these parishes on the border of New Orleans which suffered catastrophic devastation and loss of life, Frank says he believes his community was overlooked. "The National Guard boated/ helo'd and performed rescue and security operations in central New Orleans for six days while the many residents and animals in St. Bernard experienced slow death (some overcome by flood waters - others died on their rooves waiting to be rescued). Mind you that St. Bernard Parish borders Orleans - Milo was not even a mile away from the National Guard base, only about four miles from the Superdome. "

Although there is no record of Milo making it to a shelter, there is also no evidence disputing his rescue either. Milo had an ID tag attached to the collar he was wearing. However in a chaotic system filled with 50,000+ lost pets even microchips have proven unable to prevent countless animals from becoming lost - a very common problem many original owners are now facing. Frank started making his rounds at animal shelters looking for Milo in September of 2005 and has been looking ever since. He is being aided by a very determined group of volunteers including Jane Morgan. Some organizations, such as Animal Ark in Minnesota, have been responsive to his inquiries. Other shelters, such as Pinellas County Humane Society, have been difficult to work with and undermined his efforts to locate Milo.

Frank continues to search for his Jack Russell Terrier, Milo, and needs the public’s help. Even though Frank and his family have lost everything they own, this heartbroken family managed to scrape together $1,000 as a reward for Milo’s return. If you have adopted or seen a rescued dog fitting Milo’s description please contact noanimalleftbehind@gmail.com or visit the website: http://www.lostkatrinapets.com/milo/index.html.

Milo’s Description:
Milo, a Jack Russell Terrier, has very distinctive markings: all white except for a Brown ring around his right eye and a small brown patch on the top of his left ear. His tail is docked; he has long legs and is a smooth-coat Jack Russell. Milo was six years old when lost but had a birthday last December while missing. He is now 7 years old.

Milo.