Carbon Crusaders

Recently walking my dog past the local dog emporium (wittily called Polka Dog Bakery) I saw advertisements in the window for biodegradable dog poop bags. Now, nothing bothers me more then seeing dog crap on the sidewalk, especially when I (together with the vast majority of dog owners) diligently pick up those little warm mounds of joy rain, sun or snow, only to have the few disrespectful owners let their pets drop their land mines in the paths of unsuspecting pedestrians. Naturally I went in to investigate these bags. Earlier in the year I purchased a set of bags claiming to be certified biodegradable everywhere except California…turned out, California is the only state that truly takes these certifications seriously, and therefore they were no better then any other bags.

After a brief conversation with the owner, I discovered that these bags were the real deal (read more here at the company’s home page). They are indeed 100% biodegradable, made primarily from corn amongst other materials, these bags exceed all standards for environmental friendliness, and most importantly, they worked like a charm for grabbing my husky’s messy business.

The dog, shining with his improved footprint, practically vanished

I began thinking of other ways to help pet owners reduce their animals’ footprint and came up with a list of easy-to-follow guidelines.  Why, because in the end, there are even easier (and cheaper) ways to reduce Fido’s footprint then buying bio poop bags.

1. Re-use bags for Fido’s poop. Newspaper, shopping and other small bags are great. Ask neighbors or friends to save bags for you. This keeps Fido’s footprint at zero (even if yours isn’t!). When you need to buy the bags, get the biodegradable ones at poopbags.com or preferably at your local pet shop.
2. Stop buying Spot toys, especially plastic or vinyl. If spot really needs a toy, be sure it’s from a recycled or renewable source and produced locally. Want a chew toy? Go to the closest butcher and get Spot a ham bone…he’ll love you, there won’t be any terrible preservatives, you’ll save money and it will take him ages to go through it.
3. Buy local and/or organic dog food. This will have the added benefit that Lassy will be much healthier, without the strange mystery meat parts, antibiotics and preservatives found in most pet foods. If you don’t want to spend the extra $$ on food, get local food as it will often be less loaded with dead and diseased animal products and preservatives.
4. Travel much? Bring a recycled/recyclable container for you pooch’s water and food. Looking ahead, stock up on those plastic bags mentioned above to keep from having to buy new ones for poo to come.
5. Try and minimize the distance you drive to walk Fluffy. By all means, treat the dog to a walk in the woods but stay close to home for the normal day’s business.
6. Get a vet within walking distance or as close as possible. Cut down on transportations
7. Get that puppy spayed or neutered and help control the pet population. You never know what Spot can get up to at the dog park. Too many animals are born world wide without enough resources to care for them.

Have other suggestions? Please let me know. These are just the ramblings of one dog owner and there are many more ways to help your pooch become more environmentally friendly.