“REUNITED… and it feels sooo good!”
My Brutus aka Brute is a 5 year old golden Labrador with beautiful greenish brown eyes and a light brown nose. He is a loyal, extremely friendly and hyperactive fella who absolutely adores children. My grandparents, who reside in Palakkad (Kerala), take care of him when we aren’t around. He is our family’s youngest member and grandpa loves pampering him. Grandpa even wrote a song about Brute, which he sings to him every morning while giving his breakfast. Brute is also in charge of alerting my grandparents about their chores in the garden, thanks to his internal biological clock. He is loved by everybody in our neighborhood.
On 7th March 2016, Grandpa woke up around 4:00 AM to check on him and realized he wasn’t around. There were several chunks of biscuit pieces near the gate, confirming that he was drugged and abducted. He would never go outside the gate, as he is really scared to wander about without us. I don’t have words to describe what we went through during this dark time.
We scourged the entire neighborhood area, contacted kennels, breeders and veterinary hospitals. Our Vet made calls to his contacts as well. Several of our neighbors helped us out in this process. We filed an FIR with the local police and gave an ad in the newspapers. We spread the message through FB, which was shared over 220 times, thanks to my amazing friends. It was shared among several communities like Blue Cross, Save a Life and Humanity for Animals. I posted the info on Missing Dog Helpline’s FB page; they responded very quickly. They helped by posting the news in their website as well as FB page, which was shared over 50 times the same day.
Abduction is one of the worst things to endure; literally ripping away the loved one from your clutches for petty gain. The excruciating pain and torment in not knowing what happened to him, the condition he is in, drove us insane. Several dark thoughts haunted us after seeing all the missing-dog reports online. Will they feed him? Will they torture him? Is he alive? Is he within the State? We all lost our sleep, smile and peace.
On 9th March 2016, around 4:30 – 5:00 AM, one of our neighbors came over with amazing News. Apparently Brute was dropped off in front of his gate and the abductors rushed off in their car in panic. He was covered in dirt, and there was mud in his paws and abdomen. He seemed a slightly weak, unusually docile and it was certain that he was pretty shaken up after the abduction. It was evident that the abductors fed him. He was given a proper bath immediately. Our Vet came over soon, gave him the necessary shots and examined him thoroughly. He said that Brute did not have any signs of physical abuse, which was our biggest concern. He claims that he was probably used for illegal breeding purposes, which seem to be the most common reason for abduction.
Brute’s energy levels were low the next two days. He preferred staying close to us most of the time, more than usual. He’s sleeping in the house until he is comfortable and wants to spend the night running about in our yard. We are extremely cautious and have installed a security camera. In fact, the entire neighborhood is alert as there are several dogs in the locality. Brute has got back the spring in his step now. He is happy and active like before and is constantly visited by our neighbors who loves showering him with affection and treats.
Why the abductors returned him in two days; the reason is quite uncertain. But I take solace in assuming that it’s the result of all the attention we received through newspapers, flyers, tweets, FB posts, phone calls, Whatsapp etc. and all the positive vibes from his family and well-wishers. I’m eternally grateful to all my friends, acquaintances and the social media, especially Missing Dog Helpline, for spreading the word and making this reunion possible.
Like Tyron Edwards said, “Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven”.
-As reported by Lavanya Verma.
Missing Dog Brute reunited in Palakkad
