RIP Ronnie 9:40pm July 1, 2017 Ronnie, the 7mth old male Husky puppy passed away in front of me, taken by Parvo. The disease peaked and his frail body and broken spirit did not have the strength and immunity to fight through. To fight the toxicity of the disease that is human ego, greed, and self righteotusness. Ronnie was not my pet. I met him last week only. Raised an alarm. At first gently through people who knew the owner. Then earlier this week through social media. As a last resort. When I couldn’t bear to see his suffering at 7am As I passed by his pen area on the footpath outside his owners house, alone, on a cemented area, on the street, in the 40+ degree Karachi heat, humidity, street pollution and no one to care for him. Often chained. He barely stood up to come say hello to me. Maybe he had already started to believe that he was invisible and invaluable. That his life didn’t matter. That he didn’t matter. For all the devout Muslims who were fasting and watching Ronnie’s life go, In the holy month of giving and caring, compassion and looking after the needy, the voiceless, the month of Ramzan. Celebrating Eid. While he slowly died. Something to think about what you have earned in that month. When Ronnie and I first met, His Nose was dry and hard, fever raged through his body, eyes lifeless and glazed. Thick triple coat Fur dirty matted and riddled with ticks. Stale Food uneaten. Water bowl empty. Alone. Ronnie belonged to a well known Pakistani TV actor, who also owns a TV drama series production company. Entertainment for the “awam”. A man with a fan following, a voice to influence society. The media power to guide youth looking for a mentor and role model. A man with access to precious valuable air space to make our society better, our people as a community more humane, sensitive, caring, better. A man who could bring change and do his part to make Karachi a better city. Unfortunately He didn’t. Ronnie’s life mattered. As much as yours and mine. What crime did this innocent “bezaban” child commit to be punished this way? He suffered while a community of people watched. And did nothing. The neighbours who saw him many more times than I did, family and friends that visited his owner and ignored him as if he didn’t exist, as if he didn’t matter. Friends, colleagues, work associates who knew about Ronnie and how he was being kept, how he lived and still didn’t take it up with the owner enough to save him. The store keeper who sold Ronnie to his owner for the greed of a sale, like a lifeless T-shirt, without telling him what kind of care the puppy needs, the vet that didn’t give him his due vaccinations to have the physical strength to fight the Parvo. Or a society which has no legal muscle in its system to stop this import, trade, sale of this breed to incompetent owners in an inappropriate climate and no legal power to confiscate a pet being neglected as Ronnie was. Shame on all of you. Shame on all of us. Who is going to take responsibility for taking Ronnie’s life? Atiqa Odho thank you for speaking to Ronnie’s owner and supporting me through a very challenging week. Much more work for us to do. Ronnie’s sacrifice must not be allowed to go wasted. Sadaf Malaterre thank you for being there with Ronnie and me yesterday. Ayesha Chundrigar thank you for doing what you do and with everything else on your plate with the ACF animal shelter, guiding me these last few days. Sarah JK, Muzna Ebrahim, Kinza Latif, Afroza Bhamani, and my childhood school friends Sohail Ur Rahman & Kamran Hasan thank you for standing by me. Nida Butt, my daily pillar of fiery strength fighting through this with me for Ronnie, we have much to do now for him and other like him. Shan Saleem thank you and your team of young passionate vets at RPK Critter Care & Services with kind giant hearts who devoted the last 48 hrs to give Ronnie the best medical care he could get. Siraj Ulmulk my distant mountain spirit voice from Chitral, a school mate of my fathers, keeping my energy up and engine ablaze to keep on doing this. Quatrina Hosain thank you for seeing that I needed food too and wanting to bring me some. Time to get that press conference done and then get that group together and build a legal system to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Fahim Zaman, for taking time out of his schedule at the drop of a hat, for me and for Ronnie, coming with me to meet the owner. Thank you for finding a fantastic forever home for Ronnie in Karachi and for offering to take care of any cost that might incur to free him from his heartless owner. Marvi Mazhar thank you for introducing me to Ronnie. I’m sorry I failed. Thank you. All. RIP Ronnie, you moved so many of our hearts in such a short time, may you always be loved. Your life matters.
