On October 21, German couple Janin Scharrenberg and Steffen Kagerah received a phone call which ended months of stress and heartache for them. Their two-year-old Labrador mix dog Luke, who was stolen from them when they were in Chennai on their travels, was finally found.
The couple has been travelling the world since 2016 and was in Nepal when they received the happy news. On Monday, they came down to Chennai to finally meet Luke. The reunion, a video of which was shared on Facebook by animal welfare worker Shravan Krishnan, is the most heartwarming thing you will see.
The video shows the couple entering the home of Vijaya Narayanan, the Besant Nagar-based animal welfare worker, whose consistent efforts helped locate Luke. They are just over the threshold, taking off their shoes when we hear an excited bark from inside the house. As they enter the hall, Luke bounds into the hall and Janin breaks down calling Luke’s name.
Watch the video here.
Luke can be seen whining and barking as he circles his pet parents, unable to control his happiness and excitement. At one point, Steffen even commands him to sit and shake his hand, and when Luke obeys, the couple is overjoyed that he remembers.
One of the most moving moments perhaps is towards the end, when Luke finally seems to believe that Janin and Steffen are finally here. He calms down and allows Janin to hug him.
Janin and Steffen had adopted Luke when they found him on a street in Greece last year, and could not find his owners. He was allegedly stolen from them when they were travelling in Chennai and were on Marina beach in July 8 this year. Eyewitnesses had informed the couple that they saw an auto driver untie Luke from outside their vehicle and drive away with him.
Vijaya reached out to the couple three weeks after the incident. Read the story of how Vijaya’s insistent efforts helped find the lost dog, here.