The sun was at its fullest during the noon of February 2023 when I, along with my two colleagues (Kashif Khan and Abdullah Malik) from City News Network, walked down a road in the Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate during a brief break from working hours.
It was a bit hot at noon, and we as usual were walking, laughing and hurling jokes at each other when all of a sudden, every one of us spotted a middle-aged dog lying in an open manhole.
The dog was so weak and worn out that it was making jerky movements after brief intervals in its desperate attempts to stand on feet. It looked like the dog was injured and taking its last breaths.
The sight saddened us, and after standing there for a while, we simply walked away. “Shouldn’t we have to make a call to some sort of animal rescue service so that the life of this helpless animal could be saved?” it occurred to us when we resumed our walk.
Everyone agreed. We searched on the internet for the number of some animal rescue service and found the website of Todd’s Welfare Society.
We dialed the number given on the website. The man on the other side of the call gave us the number of JFK Animal Rescue and Shelter, assuring us that they will respond quickly.
A call was thus made to the JFK Animal Rescue and Shelter. The other side on the call asked us to share the location and send the pictures and a video of the dog on WhatsApp.
All the requirements were fulfilled. We were told about the arrival of the rescue team within an hour. After an hour or two, while working in the office, we received the pictures of the dog from the JFK Animal Rescue and Shelter.
It was quite surprising for each of us that the dog had been rescued, and it was being treated in the shelter of the rescue service. The dog was carrying a severe injury near its throat.
“Our act of calling the rescue service amounted to nothing, but the life of that helpless animal will now be saved,” we said to each other after seeing the pictures.
By Umar Hamid
(The writer is Assistant News Editor at 24News Digital)