Everything is going green, green, green! We’re not just talking about the long awaited arrival of Spring, but our desire as a community to make the world a better place through our efforts in recycling, repurposing, making wise purchases, and starting and maintaining Earth friendly habits. Even the littlest changes can make huge differences! We may know all about turning off the lights when we leave a room, not letting the water run while we brush our teeth, and tossing empty soda cans in the recycling bin, but did you know that even our daily routines with our pets can affect the environment? How can we lessen our carbon foot prints when it comes to our pets?

  • Eating Green– We’re always barking about how cats and dogs thrive mainly on meaty diets, but ‘going green’ when choosing products can make a great impact on sustainability. For example, a quality dog food is balanced so that it only contains what your dog needs to be healthy. When your pooch eats extra fillers, ingredients that are not digested because they aren’t required by his body, he will make extra waste! It’s a simple matter of quality over quantity. Additionally, many great dog food companies are just as concerned about the environment as we are, and often times they source and harvest their ingredients in a manner that is as eco-friendly as possible.
  • Dining in Style– When selecting a bowl for your pet, opt for ceramic or stainless steel instead of plastic. These products are designed to last for years, whereas plastics are literally made to be thrown away.
  • Mentioning the Unmentionables– Unfortunately, when our pets eat, they excrete. Such is life! Plastic grocery bags are a quick and easy solution, the usual go-to, but certainly not ideal. Some may be made from recycled materials, and some are designed to decompose faster than what is considered typical, but the average plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to fully decompose! Lucky for us there are clean up tools made specifically with the environment in mind. At Dog Day Afternoon, for example, we carry Earth Rated Poop Bags, which are made from all natural, recycled materials, and they are completely compostable.
  • Recycling for Rover– There are beds, toys, leashes and collars, so many fun things available for your dog or cat that are repurposed or made from recycled materials. We carry Cycle Dog collars made from bicycle tire inner tubes, and West Paw Beds made completely from recycled soda bottles! Our Planet Dog toys are 100% fun and 100% recyclable!
  • Cleaning Clean– Whether you bathe your dog at home or take him to be groomed, see that the shampoos and conditioners used are earth friendly. At Dog Day Afternoon, our groomers use Nature’s Specialty products, which have all natural ingredients that are nontoxic and biodegradable. We also use the Hydrosurge bathing system–a great way to conserve water!
  • Going Organic– The term ‘organic’ is thrown around a lot these days, but by purchasing treats and toys that are truly certified organic you are helping the environment. Pesticides and herbicides are not only unhealthy for your pets to consume, but they are essentially poisons that can wreak havoc on our ecosystem.
  • Opting for Adoption– Thinking about bringing a new pet home? Always consider adopting a homeless dog or cat (or bird or turtle!) from your local shelter or animal welfare organization. Many of these animals were used and discarded even though they were still perfectly good–we can’t think of a funner, more fulfilling way of recycling than that!