How green is your dog? No I’m not talking about your dog rolling in something smelly and looking slightly tinged with a different colour from normal but how eco-friendly is your dog? These days we are all trying to reduce our waste, cut down on single use plastics and generally cut our greenhouse emissions. But did you know there is an eco cost to your dog’s food and products?
In fact, it’s estimated that a medium sized dog has the same carbon footprint (or paw print) of an average 4×4 car. And while buying dry food is convenient it needs an area twice the size of the UK to produce enough food for dogs (and cats) each year and contributes to more greenhouse gases each year than The Philippines. So how can you reduce your dog’s carbon paw print?
Find a good quality dog food that uses local ingredients and is grain free. It’s the grain that makes the difference as growing it takes a lot of space and time. Making your own food is even more eco-friendly but if you don’t have the time, there are plenty of excellent foods that are committed to reducing their carbon footprint.
Ensure that you recycle your dog food packages – tins, cartons are all recycled but not the packs that have plastics and inks in their make up.
Buy eco-friendly toys, there’s a huge range of toys made from recycled materials for all dogs.
Recycle any old toys or baskets. Local rescues will always take duvets, blankets and other items which at least offsets the original purchase. Or offer spare items on Facebook marketplace or to charity shops.
Finally, poo bags… yes, poo bags! We’ve all seen the poo bag tree with bags being hung up for collection later. Use “green” poo bags. Some companies are now producing fully biodegradable poo bags which degrade quicker. And take them with you when you go. There are lots of products available to carry full poo bags. Just don’t leave it in a coat pocket for too long before it starts to break down!
For more information about how to reduce your dog’s carbon paw print, visit my website as I’ll be putting information about remaining eco-friendly as a pet owner.
Contact me, Sara Bridgeman on 07504 925341 or visit my website at www.rewardsdogtraining.co.uk
