I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY

I wish I knew who the author of this is but I don't.  I am sending it to all who love animals and hope that you will do the same.

[another wonderful email]

I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels.

I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.

As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage.

I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today.

Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past.  I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me.  I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her.

Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.

A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.

I would promise to keep her safe.  I would promise to always be by her side.

I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor.

So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors.

So many more to be saved.  At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today.

July 11, 2011 is World Population Day

Did you know that there are over 6.8 billion people in the world? And that number is growing at an exponential rate. Wow! This day seeks to raise public awareness about global population issues and to empower societies to achieve a better future.

Over the past year I have read many articles, reports, and emails on the world populations from a variety of different perspectives – covering the spectrum – the good, bad, and ugly.  The following recap of the UN report probably comes pretty close to reality and gives us some food for thought.

World Population Growth Unsustainable: the UN (February 5, 2011)

If the world population is to stand a chance of stabilizing itself, the growth rate must slow down significantly with fertility rates below the replacement level, the UN says in a new report.

The UN Population Division has developed six projections of future population development based on different fertility levels as well as other factors. With a global population already expected to reach 7 billion this year, it could potentially double by 2100. In a medium scenario, it would peak at 9.4 billion in 2070, after which it would start to decline.

Another article projects that on October 31, 2011 will be the day that the earth’s population will reach 7 Billion (7,000,000,000).  World population hit 1 billion people in 1804. It took 123 years to add the next billion, but less than a century to cruise past the next four billion -- from 2 billion people in 1927 to 6 billion people in 1999.  This rate is clearly unsustainable – only 12 years to add another billion people and that pace is increasing.

We each need to do our part – get involved and help find a reasonable and doable solutions.

Good trivia questions about the world's population are not hard to come by. For example, did you know that the Population Reference Bureau estimates that the total number of people who have ever lived is approximately 110 billion? Or that a new baby is born every 4.2 seconds?