In an emotional reunion and a collective effort by animal lovers and police, German globetrotters Janin Scharrenberg and Steffen Kagerah were reunited with their pet dog Luke, a black Labrador-mix who went missing in July at Marina beach. The efforts of animal lover and entrepreneur, Vijaya Narayanan, culminated in finding the missing dog. Luke was adopted by the couple in Greece.
"After three months, they are finally reunited. Unbelievable. Found it hard to control my tears. Luke is
finally home. Vijaya Narayanan aunty you're an angel !!!! Janin Scharrenberg," Shravan said in his Facebook post.
The video shows Janin Scharrenberg entering Vijaya Narayanan's house last night, calling out 'Luke'. The 20-month old dog, which went missing on July 8, comes running from another room, quickly recognises her and Steffen. Relieved at finding their pet, the couple are seen patting, gently stroking and hugging the dog. Shravan said the German couple will leave the city shortly.
In a video shared to agencies by Shravan, Janin and Steffen thanked everyone. "I just want to say thank you to everyone," Janin said in the video in which she was seen along with her husband and Luke, adding "we are so happy."
Recalling how they found Luke as a puppy, their journey to India and how they lost their pet, Janin thanked animal lovers and the public for aiding their efforts to trace the dog. Vijaya Narayanan said she got in touch with the couple when she came to know that their dog went missing.
"I offered to help them and began advertising in newspapers, distributed flyers, pasted posters visited
veterenarians, and pet shops," she said. She and her team "got lucky," after three months of concentrated efforts.
On October 21, Vijaya received a call from a person who said the dog was seen with some boys at Marina Beach. She said the informer according to her request brought the dog. "We checked his micro-chip number and it matched, we felt jubilant," she said.
Janin and Steffen have been travelling across the world since April 2016. On July eight, Janin was waiting in a vehicle on the Marina and it is alleged that an autorickshaw driver reportedly removed Luke's leash and took it away. The couple later filed a police complaint, and after frantic searches stretching for several days, they left for Sri Lanka and from there to Nepal but stayed there to be able to return to Chennai in case of a discovery.
Animal lovers, the couple and police circulated posts on social media, distributed notices, and pasted posters seeking information on the lost dog. Suffice to say, Luke is back home safe and ready for his next adventure.
