Contradictions

An article in today's Boston Globe  chronicled the "growing rate" of obese dogs and cats. " In the United States , 53 percent of dogs are overweight." Cats top that figure.

Given the trend someone has to step up to the plate. Luxury dog spas will create special exercise programs. Now we're beginning to see " fat camps" for dogs and cats. These camps aren't only concerned about an exercise program. In one five day camp the canine version of Pilates, yoga, and Marco Polo help trim the overweight pooch.

One camp included "nature hikes, treadmill trots' facials, massages, and healthy treats."  Proper dog stretches are taught for balance and strength.

I was glad to learn that the dogs worked for their meals. No free handouts allowed.

On another page  an article about a young unaccompanied boy, Gilberto, who left his home country of Guatemala to make his way to Chicago where an older  brother lived and worked.

He came from an isolated area that was  mired in poverty. There was "no running or potable water." When he left his home he had one change of clothing and a backpack. "

He left his cowboy boots behind..." I expect that they were an important possession.

I imagine his mother gave him more than his share of the meager food that the family shared. She also gave him a white rosary to keep him safe.

Crossing the desert, always an arduous journey. By the middle of June, a month after he started his journey he died in the hot Texas desert. When his shirtless body was found the rosary hung around his neck.

Heat stroke. How many more children will die on their exodus?