Bideawee Tails from a Volunteer
BIDEAWEE DOGS and CATS GO GREEN by Florence Scarinci
You are a person concerned about the welfare of animals. I know that because you are reading this website. I am also willing to wager that your concern extends to care about the environment. You recycle your plastic bottles, reuse your shopping bags, walk to the store in an effort to reduce your consumption of gasoline and hydrocarbon emissions, turn down the thermostat, and admonish the members of your household to turn off the lights when they leave a room. You definitely have adopted the mantra, "reduce, reuse, recycle." If you are like me, you want to take your responsible custodianship of the earth one step further and "go green" with your dog or cat.
I have given this task much thought and spent not a few hours reading on how to make my dogs and cats "eco-friendly." I would like to share with you the result of my investigation and provide you with a list of references that I have found helpful.
Before you can apply the three r's (reduce, reuse, recycle), you must begin with another "r", i.e. "read the label". All the information you need to influence your decisions and choices of what you put in, on, and around your pets, and what you take away from them, can be found on the labels of food, treats, toys, clothing, bedding, shampoos, and accessories.
WHAT GOES IN
Let's face it. My animals are members of my family. I want their diet to be the healthiest. Since I am not one of those people who has the time or expertise to feed the raw diet or create a balanced home cooked one, when I select my pets' commercially prepared food, I want to know exactly what its composition is. I would prefer that the ingredients make sense to me, that they are human grade, suitable for human consumption; are preserved naturally; not artificially colored; and are packaged in material that is recycled or can be recycled. I would also like to know the source of the ingredients and the place of manufacture. In addition, if I walk to the local pet shop rather than driving to the big box pet specialty store, I can achieve several other "green goals". I can reduce my car's consumption of gas, thus saving some of my "greenbacks". I can support a local small business person. Furthermore, I can get a little fresh air and exercise at the same time.
The canine members of my family often travel with me to agility and obedience trials, to breed specialties, or to visit relatives. Since I have learned that an abrupt change in water can precipitate a tummy upset, I purchase a case of water to take with me. Yes, I have been one of those Americans who contribute four million plastic bottles an hour to an ever-growing mountain of waste that will not decompose in centuries. It is easier and cheaper to take water in a thermos from home. The dogs are accustomed to that water. If I am going to be away for an extended period of time, I can buy a travel bottle with a filter so that I can purify the local tap water. These bottles are available from biking and camping sources. Purchasing a reusable bottle and filter is a one time expense that will save me money in the long run and help save the planet.
WHAT GOES ON
My dogs are therapy dogs. They must be groomed within 24 hours of visiting a nursing home. Much to their chagrin, they are bathed frequently. In the past I have used perfumed shampoos and conditioners, containing ingredients I can neither spell nor pronounce. But after resolving to be more ecologically responsible, I am going to look for shampoos that contain all natural ingredients, preferring the smell of natural herbs to perfume, and packaged in bottles that are themselves recyclable. It never occurred to me before starting this investigation that what is rinsed off the dog or cat goes into the water system. Do I really want to add phosphates to our ponds and streams? Instead I can concoct a shampoo or conditioner from ingredients that I already have in my home, such as apple cider vinegar and castile soap, and in the process, save some money too.
Those frayed towels that none of the humans want to use are perfect for drying the dogs after their baths. They can be cut up and used to apply homemade ear and tear stain cleaners. Best of all, they can be laundered and used over and over again. And if the weather is warm enough, I can save a little electricity by letting the dogs air dry rather than blow drying them.
My therapy dogs often visit nursing homes wearing costumes that are themed for the season. But instead of incurring an additional expense by ordering from a pet specialty catalog, with a little tailoring and a piece of elastic here and there, I can use my grandchildren's outgrown Halloween costumes. Or I can walk to the neighborhood garage sales to find costumes that the children in those families have outgrown.
I am an inveterate shopper, an easy target for mail order catalogs and online shopping. Consequently, my dogs have a wardrobe of leashes and collars, many of them with holiday or sports themes. I am going to take them all down to Bideawee and donate them. In their place each dog will receive one collar and leash made from organic cotton or hemp, which was grown and manufactured locally.
WHAT SURROUNDS THEM
I want to keep my dogs and cats fit and mentally alert as long as possible. Given that desire and given my penchant for mail order catalogs, my pets have many toys: stuffed toys, fetch toys, chew toys, tug toys; things that squeak, bounce, wiggle, toys made of plastic, fabric, felt, feathers, rubber, vinyl, latex, even old fire department hoses. Until now I never cared what these toys were made of as long as my pets were amused. I never cared until I learned that small pieces of plastic can break off and be ingested. These plastics contain phthalates that have been implicated in birth defects and cancer. I thought all rubber was a natural product of the earth. Instead I have learned that synthetic rubber is a petroleum product. And while we are on the subject of petroleum products I have discovered that the cushy stuffing in those stuffed toys and in the animals' beds might be made from a petroleum product or from a substance which has been bromated and chlorinated. From now on, before I purchase another toy or blanket or bed, I will investigate what it is made from, what kind of dye was used to color it, and where it was made, preferring local and organic to imported and synthetic. Besides I might just make my own toys. Do my dogs really care if they chase a sheep or do my cats think that mouse they are batting around is real? I can stuff an old sock with other old socks that the dogs will chase just as vehemently. I can grow my own catnip and stuff it into an old piece of washcloth. The cats will rub themselves all over with just as big a smile on their feline faces as if the toy resembled Mickey Mouse. An old branch or a cardboard box makes a great, free scratching post for the cats as well.
Every day the animals are surrounded by fabrics, cleaning products, lawn chemicals, deodorizers. It is impossible to rid my environment of all of these. In fact in some cases, it is desirable to use them. But where it is possible to substitute organic and homemade, as in the case of window or sink cleaners, then I am going to do it.
WHAT COMES OUT
Eventually all that high quality food and those tasty homemade treats find their way through the dogs' and cats' digestive system and what is not utilized, is expelled as waste. It is estimated that American dogs alone produce 10 million tons of waste a year. While the waste itself is organic and biodegradable, the way we dispose of it may contribute to a mountain of garbage. Of course, I scoop. But what do I scoop into and where do I put it after I scoop? To tell the truth I have been scooping into those supermarket plastic bags, 100 billion of which are produced a year and of which less than a fraction of 1% is recycled. Recently I have discovered, though, that some enterprising and environmentally responsible inventors have created biodegradable and compostable poop bags. The poop and the bag can be buried in the backyard (but not in the compost pile that will be used as fertilizer for the vegetable garden) or, if you are so, inclined, flushed down the toilet where it will make its way to the sewage treatment plant.
For years the cats' litter boxes have been filled with a dusty and perfumed but scoopable, clumpable clay litter. Until recently I thought I had no alternative, that I had to use clay litter produced by strip mining. But after a little research I have discovered that there are several all natural, chemical free litters that are silica (can be carcinogenic), dust free, and biodegradable. Who would have thought that pine shavings, whole kernel corn, non food grade wheat, or even recycled newspapers could be made into cat litter with all the features that make the other litters desirable? I am slowly introducing them to my cats. Since I hate cleaning those litter boxes with chlorine bleach and other cleaners, both breathing in the fumes and releasing more chemicals into the water, I am going to consider disposable, biodegradable litter boxes made from recycled paper. It's time my cats joined the green revolution along with the dogs and me.
Going green is really very simple. It involves becoming an educated consumer and making choices based upon that knowledge. Reading, reducing, reusing, and recycling lead to the fifth "r", being a "responsible" citizen of Mother Earth.
The following is a list of resources for further exploration of ways in which to "go green"
Adamson, Eve. Pets Gone Green, Live a More Eco-Conscious Life with Your Pets.
Irvine, CA: BowTie Press, 2009.
DeVito, Dominique. Green Dog, Good Dog, Reducing Your Best Friend's Carbon Paw
Print. New York: Lark Books, 2009.
Frischman, Carol. Pets and the Planet, A Practical Guide to Sustainable Pet Care.
New York: Wiley, 2009.
Marshall, Corbett and Jim Deskevich. Eco Dog, Healthy Living for Your Pet.
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2008.
Websites:
Raise a Green Dog and Have a Healthier, Happier Pup and the Environment.
www.raiseagreendog.com
Planet Green
www.planetgreen.discovery.com
BAD ECONOMY BAD FOR DOGS AND CATS
LIFE GOES ON: Bideawee's Pet Loss Support Group
A Therapy Dog at College Teaches Important Lessons
Part 2: ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG: Joys and Challenges
ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG: Joys and Challenges
The Cat Who Changed My Life
The Lonely Cat's Best Friends
Therapy Benefits: What's In It for Me?
