Greening Your Pets
Pets have provided mankind undying devotion and companionship and assistance since the beginning of civilization. There is no doubt that we are much happier and healthier for having embarked on this mutually beneficial relationship with them. For those of us living in the cramped and paved world of the modern city, our pets are often the only glimpses into the inner workings of the natural world we get.
So having established that an animal companion is a natural part of our human existence, it may seem contradictory to assert that there are quite a few decidedly ungreen aspects of pet ownership. Fido and Fluffy’s forefather’s decided eons ago to forgo their animal cohorts and hitch their fates to our wagon and found the accommodations and kibbles we provided much to their liking. As a result, they’ve reproduced in numbers well beyond their wild cousins, and as with humans, this booming population is not without its environmental consequences. I’ll discuss a few of those consequences in this blog post as well as offer a few easy practices you can employ to help mitigate the environmental effects of your friend’s presence on the planet.
First and foremost, adopt your pet from a shelter. Here are a few numbers for you: Everyday 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the United States alone, and every year, 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters throughout the U.S. As these numbers demonstrate, there are more dogs and cats in the United States alone than there are loving homes willing to take them in. Pets in shelters are animals that are already here waiting for a home, and could be put to death if they aren’t adopted. The environmental problems associated with animal overpopulation are the same as they are with people. These animals need resources to survive, and if they are homeless, they are not getting adequate health care and could be contributing to the spread of diseases. They also need people to clean up after them, which leads me to my next point…
As I write this, my hometown of Austin is awash with media reports of dog feces finding its way into our watershed - nearly 500,000 pounds of it at last count! A quick Google search shows that this problem is endemic throughout the United States. Well-meaning folks are taking their dogs to local lakes, creeks and swimming holes for some much-needed exercise and are forgetting to clean up after them. The same goes for animal waste in your own lawn. As the old saying goes, it all runs downhill, and your water supply is often the end of the line. The solution to this is simple: bag it (in a biodegradable baggie, of course), seal it and deposit it in the trash. You may also compost it, but there are a few things to consider before doing so. This site explains the purpose, process and problems that go with composting dog manure. Study it carefully if you plan to go this route, as dog waste that is improperly composed may also pose a health risk and will do little to fertilize your beloved vegetable garden.
The last way to green your pet I’ll discuss is about the bane of many a pet owner’s existence: FLEAS. Just typing that word makes my shins itch. There’s no getting around them. No matter what you use to control the flea population, there will always be at least a few left making your pet’s life a little more difficult. It should come as no surprise that many of the flea treatments available today contain chemicals that are not meant to be consumed by your pet. Even if they are just applied to the skin, your pet is still going to groom itself and one way or another, they are going to ingest it. This goes for flea collars, sprays, shampoos and those topical creams you apply to the small of their backs. There are however more natural ways to control the flea population around your home and on your pet that don’t employ harsh chemicals to get the job done. There are plenty of web sites abound that explore the more natural products and home remedies meant to keep the fleas at bay, many of which I’d never heard of. I’ve used diatomaceous earth, cedar bedding, garlic, brewer’s yeast and flaxseed oil to great effect in the past, but there are literally hundreds of natural ways to control fleas that you can chose from depending on what’s easier for you. PETA recommends spraying your pet with a lemon water concoction that I’ve heard works very well (I assume this treatment wouldn’t be for cats!). If anyone has tried this, let me know how it works in the comments section below. I’m always on the lookout for better ways to keep my friends flea-free.
As with any tips post, this is an incomplete list of ways to green your pet. I know I’ve missed more than a few environmental issues and remedies related to owning a pet, and I’m sure there are even more I’ve never heard of. So what’s not in the post that should be? Let me know in the comments section. We (and our animal friends) are looking forward to hearing from you.
I started a facebook environmental cause called GREEN KITTIES are GOOD. We need to push Purina and other pet suppliers to offer green alternatives to clay-based cat-litter. I have tried several made from renewable and biodegradable substances and my cats preferred the one made from pine tree dust. And it smells better than any of the perfumes. And works better too.
Our landfills are getting filled with stinky clay litter and every time I hauled another bag out to the trash can (not to the recycle bin) I knew there had to be an alternative to turning them all into outdoor cats. So check it. One is called Perfect Litter (mail order, but my cats didn’t digg it) and the one I use is called Feline Pine. Once you get going it’s actually cheaper to use because you don’t throw so much of it away.
Next up we need to get all manufacturers to provide organic food as well. There are a lot of them, but most are fast-food nutritionally.
jmacofearth (works for DELL and am very happy with OUR green work!)
by John McElhenney / July 3, 2008
I was interested in the article about composting dog waste, although temporarily dog-less. With only one small dog, the composting method described is not really feasible. I keep a compost bin going in the garden, but just adding dog poo to the other domestic waste is not a good idea because of encouraging flies. What I used to do was collect the poos from round the garden, dig a hole underneath a shrub, and bury it, letting the worms, etc get on with the job. I always tried to remember to worm the dog regularly, so round worm eggs shouldn’t be a problem. Apart from the fact that you obviously need a garden, can you think of any disadvantages to this practice? When I had a cat, incidentally, she used precisely this method herself!
by Sue Arrow / July 4, 2008
I have two black labs and neither of them have problems with fleas. I give each of them a garlic tablet each day. These can be obtained at any pet store. Evidently fleas do not like garlic and they will not bother your dogs. These are safe and the dogs do not smell like garlic. My vet recommended this about 6 years ago and I have not had any problems with fleas since then.
by Pat Mattingly / July 7, 2008
Pat - I’d heard about the garlic thing from a friend, though they’d never tried it themselves. Great to hear that it works. How do you feed them the tablet? do they like it?
by Todd Dwyer / July 7, 2008