THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bruno, a 10-year-old dog of the Lhasa Apso breed that went missing from ‘Retreat’, Eswara Vilasam Road, in Vazhuthacaud 10 days ago, is a bit confused now receiving all the adulation from his human friends. He does not know the agony they had undergone when he went missing, which saw them knocking on all doors including that of the Museum Police station.
Eventually, an unrelenting pursuit by Bruno’s human brothers, Naveen and Kiran Tampi who examined CCTV footage from several dozens of shops, helped the family trace their pet a good eight kilometres away, at Nettayam, where two youths were planning to sell him for easy money.
Bruno went missing on January 16 when the ironing man forgot to close the gate to their house. Realising that Bruno was missing, the family members searched for him in the surrounding areas. When they went to the Museum Police station to lodge a complaint, they were allegedly asked to put it in a complaint box. Sensing the officers’ coldness, the family took to various groups on social media platforms with the picture of Bruno. Scores of people shared the post, but there was no indication of where he had disappeared to. The brothers decided to post flyers across a five-kilometre radius, and yet the good news of Bruno being traced evaded them. Finally, they decided to check the CCTV footage at the shops nearby.
Lekshmi Nair, Naveen’s wife, told TNIE that they got a lead from a local resident who had seen two youths carrying Bruno on a motorcycle. “That led us to check the CCTV footage thoroughly, which revealed visuals of Bruno being carried by two youths. The number plate of the motorcycle was only partially visible and the faces were not clear.
The footage showed that they had gone towards Nettayam junction. We showed the photo of Bruno to local traders, and they identified the youths. When we reached their house, Bruno was being looked after by the youth’s family and they wanted to sell it,” said Lekshmi, an IT professional. Bruno had an emotional homecoming with the matriarch of the family, S L Sreelatha, a banking professional, cuddling and kissing him.