It’s that time again.  It’s the start of a brand new year and brand new beginnings that fill us with new aspirations and new hope.  It's once again a fresh opportunity to remake ourselves into better human beings.

And the horrific recent tragedy on the Gulf Coast brought out some of the compassion that had been tucked away deep in our human hearts and souls for far too long.

But will this compassion for our earthly neighbors last?

All too often, New Year's resolutions quickly fall to the wayside and are soon forgotten.

But there's no question that if you’re an animal lover, you'll feel better if you adopt a few new year resolutions that will also help our animal neighbors in 2007—and beyond.

By adding just a few of these to your resolution list, you'll be helping to create a more humane world for all of earth’s many diverse inhabitants.

-        Bring Your Pets Inside

If you leave your dog or cat outside all the time, make a change for the better: bring your pets indoors. Free roaming cats are at risk of contracting feline leukemia, of injuring birds, being injured or killed by wildlife, and of being hit by cars. Dogs who spend their lives chained outdoors can be victims of both bad weather and bad people; and isolated outdoor canines can develop behavioral problems like incessant barking.  And, very sadly, America’s pets are now being stolen at alarming rates, and callously being sold to research labs and breeding factories.

-        Spay and Neuter Your Pets

Animal shelters in America are currently overflowing with millions of unwanted, neglected, abused, and abandoned pets, many of them the offspring of free roaming pets which had not been spayed or neutered.  Millions of these unwanted dogs and cats will be euthanized in the United States in 2007, to make room for the millions more, surely on the way.

-        Adopt Your Next Pet, Don’t Buy It

Extremely cruel and inhumane puppy mill factories in America will continue to thrive, as long as we American citizens continue to support them.  Please adopt your next pet from an animal shelter; don’t purchase it from a pet store or an animal breeder.

-        Keep Toxic Chemicals Off Your Lawn

If the pursuit of a perfect lawn is leading you to use dangerous chemicals on your property, rethink the practice and make your yard and your neighborhood safer for pets and wildlife alike. Strong herbicides and pesticides can be deadly to both wildlife and pets, and commercial fertilizers can quickly migrate into streams and ponds and endanger both aquatic life and our drinking water. Instead of trying for that perfect, emerald green, weed-free lawn, go ‘green’ in another way by choosing organic, environmentally safe products, and do your gardening and lawn care with Nature in mind.

-        Terminate Extermination

Urban sprawl in America continues at an unprecedented pace, and many of our wild animals are truly running out of living space, and, it’s not their fault.  If you're having problems with local wildlife, try a humane solution to your problem before you call in the deadly exterminator. Instead of killing animals who invade your home or property, find out how they're getting in, and seal off the entry point.   If a raccoon or a squirrel has nested in your attic, live-trap it, and humanely release it in a nearby forest preserve.  I do it all the time, and it’s not as hard or as time consuming as it seems at first glance.  Many police departments and municipalities all across America will let you borrow their live-traps, and these traps are available for purchase at many pet supply centers.

If local deer or rabbits are decimating your prized shrubs or flowers, support humane solutions like animal-resistant plants and flowers as alternatives to deer and rabbit slaughter.

-        Lend a Hand at Your Local Animal Shelter

How often do you hear yourself saying that you love animals? This year, instead of just talking the talk, try walking the walk. Walk into your nearest animal shelter and offer to lend a hand. Volunteering at your local shelter is a great way to help animals in the most direct way possible, even if you can only spare a few hours. You'll quickly learn about the many problems animal shelters in America confront each and every day by seeing them firsthand. But more importantly, you'll be part of the solution.

-        Teach Humane Practices To Children

Children are extremely impressionable, so make sure you impress upon them the need for the humane treatment of all living creatures on earth. Take them for a visit to your local animal shelter or to a nearby wildlife refuge.  Take a walk with them in your local forest preserve or nature park.  Instead of stalking animals with a rifle, try wildlife tracking with your kids.  It’s fascinating.  Also learn to identify different types of birds by their distinct songs and chirps.  Please stress the importance of respecting all living beings on this interconnected planet of ours.  The future of animals on this planet truly rests on the shoulders of today’s children.

-        Make the Call for Animals

You know that democracy requires participation, but you may not realize that phone calls and letters to our lawmakers can make a difference when it comes to passing laws that protect earth’s animals. Resolve to stay abreast of animal issues this coming year, and make at least one telephone call or write one letter or e-mail a month on behalf of earth’s animals. Once you find out how easy it is, you may do it again and again.

A brand new Congress convenes soon, and we all need to impress upon our legislators that it truly is time to pass much needed legislation to end the blatant and ever increasing animal cruelty and abuse in America, and to save our many endangered wild animals – before it’s too late.

-        Give the Gift of Hope

Donations to local animal shelters, to humane societies, and to wildlife support groups help to keep positive changes for earth’s animals coming. Whether you provide an item on your shelter's ‘Wish List’ that’s just collecting dust in your home, or you support an animal advocate organization with cash donations, your gifts will truly be appreciated.

Most of all, remind yourself that each and every animal related New Year’s Resolution that you make - and keep - will help make a concrete difference in the lives of animals near and far.

-     Renew Your Spirit of Compassion

There's probably no better way to keep the Spirit of New Beginnings alive for all of our earthly neighbors – both human and nonhuman - in 2007.

Ultimately, our own worth as a species, and even of our long-term survival on this planet, depends upon recognizing that the only line which truly matters is a benevolent compassionate circle which embraces all of earth’s many diverse inhabitants.