Dog’s rescue stirs up controversy

After Luke, the mixed breed Labrador that went missing, was reunited with the German couple, Steffan Schrrenberg and Janin, videos of the reunion have been doing the rounds on social media. However, a voice recording circulated in WhatsApp has stirred a controversy over the happy story.

In the recording, a lady claims that she had found the dog and handed it over to Vijaya Narayanan. She also accuses ‘Aunty Vijaya’ of trying to steal the attention from her. 

Stating that the woman, by the name Prema, had got in touch with her once during her search, Vijaya said, “She called me and said that there was a dog in her locality that resembled Luke. She sent a video to me and Janin, requesting to confirm if it was the missing canine. However, we were sure it was not Luke.” 

“To confirm the same, I went to her locality and she directed me to a dog that sat under a car in front of her house. On confirming it was not Luke, we prepared to leave. However, she requested that we find a home for the dog that seemed to be lost,” added Vijaya. 

Vijaya’s friend Radha, who resides at IIT, took the dog in, bathed it and got it vaccinated. She sent in pictures to Prema and there ended the matter. 

While Prema, in her recording, claims that she had been trying to get in touch with Vijaya for over 10 days, Vijaya says that her conversation with Prema had ended on October 16.  “When we finally got Luke, I sent a message to all those who tried to help me, informing them of the same,” Vijaya added. 

While the other dog is happy at its new home at IIT, and Luke has been reunited with his owners, the rise of such a controversy serves no purpose, animal activists feel. It may be noted that the prize money of Rs 50,000 has been handed over to the person who had found Luke.