I have multiple dogs in the city and try to lessen the impact that they have on our environment. I buy poop-bags made of cornstarch that are biodegradable. I reuse their dogfood bags as garbage bags, and they work great because they do not leak. I use environmentally friendly shampoos on them. I re-stuff and re-squeak old toys, or buy balls made of recycled material (planetdog.com is a great resource). I use old pillows or packing peanuts to revitalize their beds. Any other tips on living greener with dogs would be much appreciated!
This post was submitted by janelle.
I have cats, and I save the plastic cat food bags as they are made out of the same woven plastic that tarps are made from. They open fully flat and make a great plastic mat under my outdoor bench to keep weeds away. Also they can be seamed together or taped together to make larger tarps, or used under gravel and sand for a weed barrier. Reusing is fun. I also save the red cotton string from the cat food bags as well.
Comment by Karen — July 8, 2011 @ 10:40 pm
You have awesome tips that I’m going to need to try for my dogs! Something that I’ve done to take care of my dog waste was to make a dog poop septic system if you have a yard. A good video on it can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sud1JgBSc1Y&feature=related
I also have found a great chemical free way to made a homemade tick repellant and bug repellant. For the tick repellant mix a few drops of Rose/Geranium essential oil with a cup of olive oil and work it into your dogs coat. For a general bug repellant, mix a few drops each of these essential oils: Neem Oil, Citronella Oil, Lemongrass Oil and Tea Tree Oil with olive oil and work it into your dog’s coat. Just put the ingredients in an old container, and you’re set to go.
Comment by Michelle — August 24, 2011 @ 3:08 pm
Ok Thank for this idea Mosquito Repellent Insect Repellents
Comment by John M — October 24, 2011 @ 4:52 pm
Eating less meat creates less pollution, water usage, deforestation etc basically going vegetarian has a far greater positive environmental impact than cutting down on car use etc
So giving your dogs more veges will also help the environment. Dogs are able to be vegetarian especially if this diet is introduced from a young age. There are some veges they are not able to eat so you would need to check that out. There are even some pet food companies that make vegetarian food for dogs! Hope that helps
Comment by Asha — January 4, 2012 @ 12:01 am
In my effort to make my life with my dog more green, I finally trained him to trade in his gas guzzling Hummer for a more efficient smart car. Smaller carbon Paw Print!!!
As for his recycling, he already eats his own vomit. Now he is working on re-purposing his urine “bear grylls style”. His teeth have changed to a dark yellow hue, but the Vet said this would not be a problem.
He needed no training in sorting the trash into piles of plastic from raw meat and used toilet paper from the bathroom trash can. He eats what he can to reduce the load to the recycling center.
I am very proud of my green dog.
Comment by anonymous — January 5, 2012 @ 4:14 am
Most dogs, especially mine, are very accomplished chewers, tearing through dog toys like crazy. Rather than spending lots of money, and resources, buying new dog toys for them to chew on all the time, we’ve started going to the local bike shop and requesting used old mountain bike tires. The shop always has a ton that they are willing to give you for free since they just get tossed or recycled otherwise. Some may have cables that you need to cut out of the edges, but once you’ve gotten rid of those and cut the tire into 4-5 sections, one tire will last months (even if you’re dog can go through a tennis ball in a day). My dog loves these at least as much as store bought chew toys, and although they do end up in small chunks all over the place, we’ve found that to be true of any toy and aren’t hard to clean up.
Comment by Marco — February 13, 2012 @ 10:34 am
Ruined pantyhose can be re-purposed as a teeth cleaning toy for dogs. 1. Tie the legs into 2 or 3 tight knots. 2. Wrap the stockings around the knots & panty (or weave through) and tie them again. Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you can’t make anymore knots. I like to use 2 or 3 pairs of hose to make a blob about 4-6 inches in diameter with a few long bits sticking out to make it easier to hold onto for fetch & tug-o-war games. When it gets too ratty looking, I wash it along with my regular laundry. If it falls apart, just tie it back up, or add new hose. For extra fresh breath, I tuck in a leaf or two of fresh mint from my herb garden. Works great with any stocking (not just nylons.)
Comment by Lana — February 29, 2012 @ 3:34 pm
I have found that tennis ball type balls break really quickly for my big dog. The cheap ones will be broken within an hour! We now have invested in some balls that are more expensive but have cost less over time because they do not break, ever. The only time we need to replace balls is when they get lost at the dog park.
I am sure there are many brands, I like the non-fuzzy Chuck-it balls. An old baseball also works great but it does not bounce and they don’t fit into my ball flinger. (I don’t have much throwing ability) There are some tough solid rubber balls available.
Comment by cyni — November 19, 2012 @ 11:12 am
Well, I never wash my dog, that saves shampoo and water.
Secondly I feed the dog with food with less “filling” (stuff the dog doesn’t digest anyway) resulting in less poop!!
And most important, never give the dogs tennis balls! A vet once told me, that if the dog chews the ball and swallows pieces, they turn to hard, sharp shards in the stomach, and can do terrible damage!
Comment by Libs — December 22, 2012 @ 4:38 pm