10 ways to reduce our pets’ dependence on oil:

1. Avoid nylon (a petroleum product) leashes and collars. Consider ones made from natural fibers or search etsy for recycled versions.
2. This one’s tough, but don’t buy plastic toys! There are toys made from recycled materials and natural fibers readily available which are actually much safer than plastic if your little ones accidentally swallow small pieces. I wrote about a couple eco-friendly options or a DIY option.
3. If you feed your pets a commercial diet, talk to your vet about decreasing the amount of kibble you feed in exchange for adding fresh fruits and vegetables – bonus points if you grow them yourself!
4. Spay and neuter your pet. There are millions of unwanted dogs and cats who all need food, boarding, transportation, medical care – not to mention half of those animals never find homes.
5. Replace clay cat litter with one of the eco-friendly biodegradable alternatives. Not only does clay litter crowd landfills (2 million tons per year!) but it’s made from some pretty toxic stuff.
6. Instead of purchasing overly-packaged treats and goodies, make some for your pets yourself! You can grow your own catnip, whip up organic doggy ice cream, or even bake healthy biscuits.
7. When purchasing anything for your pets, avoid products made in China. Strive to cut down on the distance your pets’ products travel to get to you. Whether it’s Holistic Select pet food made in Indiana, a leash handmade in Massachusetts and purchased on Etsy, or training treats from your locally-owned dog bakery, there are locally-sourced options for just about everything you need for your pets! (Tip: Yard sales are gold mines for bird cages and small animal homes!)
8. Try bathing and grooming your pet at home. Have you ever been in a grooming salon during a busy period? Water running, electric clippers and trimmers, dozens of fluorescent lights, bottles and products everywhere – it takes an awful lot of energy to run a busy salon. I give Emmett a bath, brushing, teeth cleaning, ear cleaning, and nail filing every other week for his therapy work. We have a routine down and, from start to finish, it takes about half an hour. Lucas gets a bath far, far less often, but we invested in a pet shower sort of like this one a couple years ago to make it easier, so not only is it more energy-efficient, but it’s saved us a fortune in grooming costs!
9. Dogs get tired of toys, pets grow and need bigger beds, bigger collars, longer leashes, raised feeding dishes. Instead of tossing old items, donate them to your local shelter. Shelters always need gently-used beds, leashes, toys, bowls, and more!
10. And this might be the toughest one of all, but reduce consumption! Does your dog really need a rain jacket, a winter jacket, and a sport coat? How many brushes do you really use to groom your cat? The more you buy, the more oil you’re consuming, so try to figure out what really are needs versus what are wants. One thing we’ve tried to do is to make the toys they have last longer by rotating them – we have a handful out at a time and a handful tucked away in the pantry. Every few weeks we switch them out, making each toy last longer and it keeps the boys interested longer, so we have to buy fewer toys.

So those are some ideas off the top of my head. Most I’m trying to implement; the rest I will start immediately. I’d love to hear from you:

Any other ideas on how we can reduce our pets’ dependence on oil? What are you doing to reduce your pets’ carbon pawprint?

Happy Friday, everyone! Hard to believe it’s the end of the month, though with warm air moving in, I’m really looking forward to this first weekend of May. Lots of gardening, dog walks, puppy play dates, and Emmett and I doing some therapy work at a mental health facility and the public library! What are you up to this weekend?

In case you’re looking for a little light reading, I thought I’d put together a quick little list of what I’ve been reading this week. And if you have any other articles or links to share, please feel free to post them in the comments!

ASPCA’s Guide to Pet-Safe Gardening: So helpful if you’re planning on getting any gardening done this weekend.

Uncorking Finger Lakes Wine Country: This article inspired me to research whether any of our local vineyards are pet friendly!

“Ready?” Using meta-communication to help your dog: Really interesting post about communicating with your dog. Interestingly, I realized I was doing this… without even realizing it! Since I work from home, I spend a lot of my day chatting with Emmett and Lucas, and I think by narrating our activities, it helps them to “get” it.

Even Google’s goats need the help of a dog: Love it, love it, love it! It makes me want a goat more than I already do!

And, lastly, a little shameless self-promotion here! I’m covering the pets + sustainability beat for EcoSalon.com. Here’s a roundup of this week’s articles. Let me know what you think or if there’s anything else you’d like to see covered!

What to Do with Doo

3 Alternatives to Topical Pesticides

And one for the cat-lovers! Pet Food Manufacturers Seek Sustainably-Sourced Fish
Whew! And that’s my reading list for the week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! What are you doing to honor this day? John and I have committed to planting lots more – a full veggie garden, a balcony herb garden, an apple tree by our driveway – and we’re striving to make more earth-friendly food choices. As we finish decorating our house, I’m striving to find things from Etsy or even antique shops instead of big-box retailers.

For the dogs, we’re also altering their eating habits with less kibble and more locally-sourced fresh fruits and veggies, buying or making eco-friendly toys, and composting some of their fur, among other things.

What are you doing today to celebrate Earth Day? How about your dogs?

Have you seen Food, Inc.? What did you think? Do you recommend?

Start with at least 3 pieces of a durable remnant fabric. Also, make sure you have a supervisor, like Emmett:

Next, tie one of the pieces across another piece to form a T. Again, it helps to have supervision.

Tie the third piece at the opposite end. If you have more than three pieces, continue to tie them on. Any random pattern is great. I do find it helpful to double knot the strands, though if they come apart, you can easily retie them.

Your supervisor might really, really want the bug before it’s complete…

But once you’ve tied all the pieces together, it’s ready for his quality assurance check.

Looks like it passed!

The best part about making a bug is that you can toss it in the washer and dryer when it gets dirty. If it comes apart during tug-of-war, you can easily tie the pieces back together. In addition to a thick felt, denim and canvas work great, too, along with any cotton fabric without elastic. If you’re using old t-shirts or sweatshirts, be sure to cut out cuffs and collars because they often have elastic threads, which can be harmful if swallowed.

Avoid: Socks and any fabric with elastic bands, anything silky, and anything with a stretchy or Lycra material.

Have you put together an eco-friendly or DIY dog toy? Any winners or losers?

Books are my weakness. I can’t walk into a bookstore without snatching up an armfull of books and magazines. In attempting to be both eco- and budget-friendly, though, I’ve been working out my library card lately, which has been awesome! However, when I saw this book when I stopped into a local bookstore (gah, I know, I know, I shouldn’t even go in one, but with my Barnes & Noble member card I get cheaper coffee… right??), I had to buy it. And it was totally worthwhile!

Chock full of useful information on how to identify and eliminate toxins, the book also has a ton of great DIY projects ranging from making dog toys to pet-safe household cleansers. I’ve already tried a couple of the treat recipes, which Emmett and Lucas loved. Rumor has it I’m getting a sewing machine for my birthday, and if so, I’m going to try the fabric fish! I’m not the most crafty of gals, but they include lots of step-by-step instructions along with color photographs, which is awesome!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re looking to reduce your pup’s carbon pawprint or just integrate safer, healthier practices in your home, or even if you’re looking for some fun DIY pet projects.

Any other eco-friendly pet books you would suggest? Or does anyone have a recommendation for a good (preferably organic) dog treat cookbook?

Disclaimer: This was not a paid review, though the link above goes to my Amazon Associate’s page.