Chennai: Janin Scharrenberg couldn’t stop sobbing and her mate Steffen Kagerah struggled fighting back tears. Reuniting with Luke, their 20-month-old Labrador-mix that went missing on the Marina on July 8, at the Tiruvanmiyur house of dog-lover Shravan Krishnan Tuesday evening, was perhaps the most electrifying experience that happened to the German couple since they took off on their world trip in a caravan in April 2016.
The black coated fellow with a splash of white on the chest had been their constant companion on road after they rescued him from a street in Greece as a rather dirty puppy.
“We did not imagine this would happen, that we would get our Luke back after these 106 days. He was so happy seeing us, kept going round and round us whining as if to say, ‘never leave me again’. We are so grateful”, said Janin, while Stephen indulged in rewinding some of those pleasurable moments with his lost-and-found canine friend, such as shaking a hand and gushing how quickly Luke recognised them both.
On July 8, when Steffen had gone into the city and Janin was resting inside the vehicle, an autorickshaw driver reportedly untied Luke’s leash and took him away in the auto. People around noticed but none took any pictures, so the police really had very little help when the crestfallen couple filed complaint. After frantic search for several days through the city, rushing out whenever a phone call reported sighting Luke, the couple continued with their journey to Sri Lanka and thereafter to Nepal, where they waited just in case their newfound friends in Chennai called to report sighing Luke.
Animal lover and entrepreneur Vijaya Narayanan had been in touch with the Germans ever since she saw the media reports of their Marina tragedy. Volunteering help, she advertised in newspapers, pasted posters, distributed flyers and checked at vets and pet shops. And she kept in touch with Janin, telling her not to lose heart.
Vijaya kept her word and made that happy call on Sunday, getting the Germans rushing back from Kathmandu. The emotional reunion happened the following day at Shravan’s place with aunty, Vijaya, happily taking pictures for posterity.
According to Vijaya, her constant searching for Luke yielded fruit when a youngster called her on October 21 to inform that the dog was seen with some kids at the Marina. The informer agreed to help get the dog and got Luke to a vet’s clinic where the identity was confirmed through verification of the number of the micro chip on him, which Janin had given Vijaya. The informer was rewarded Rs 30,000.
The hero of this happy ending is undoubtedly Vijaya, who never gave up hope and let go trying.
