My puppy uses plastic bags!
Last weekend, my boyfriend, Kipp, and I went out and adopted ourselves the cutest dog in the whole world (see photo below)! Things have been running quite smoothly with our four-month-old labrador/collie mix. She's housebroken, she can stay alone in the house for up to two hours at a time (without causing too much trouble - the odd chewed plant and a chewed up favourite slipper aside) and she's already our new best friend, madly wagging her tail whenever she sees one of us.
But, I do have one little complaint. Dear little Scout is getting in the way of our attempts to greenify our lives!
Obviously not thinking far enough in advance, we've totally cut plastic bags out of our lives. Like everyone else these day, we shun them so quickly, never thinking we might need one, or two, or three, or four A DAY (I'm serious). Little did I know, I'd be needing those plastic bags in the close future to pick up doggy doo doo! Last week, I went around to ask all my friends to donate their plastic bags to our worthy cause, until we can figure out a proper green method. After all, Scout doesn't wait to do her dirty business.
According to National Geographic's Green Guide and Adria Vasil's Ecoholic, I have A LOT to learn about greening my pet. To quote Vasil, "If you're walking your pooch three times daily and he's got an active digestive system and lives to be, say, 16, that's 17,520 bags worth!" YIKES! I'm not off to a good start. I just visited www.biobag.com to order biodegradable and compostable bags - they'll only take about 40 days to break down, as opposed to the 100 years it takes for regular plastic bags to break down. I can now scoop without guilt!
I would also like to try some DIY pet food, so I'm on the hunt for info on how to do so. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
Do you have any pets? Are they "green"? Have you tried to make pet food from scratch? How did it turn out? Any advice for greening my dog?
Here's Scout, just so you can put a face to the name (ain't she cute?):
Tags: dogs, green living, green pets, pets
November 11th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Okay, this may sound silly to some, but I have had two dogs during my married life. While we walked them 2 to 3 times a day, both dogs were trained to use our own backyard for, let's just say, anything that may require a plastic bag on a walk. Yes, we always carry a spare bag, just in case. But we rarely need it. Perhaps that is the greenest solution.
November 12th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Daniela, your puppy is beautiful!
November 12th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Thanks for sharing your tip, Angela!
November 12th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Thanks Christine! I think so too.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
The region I live in has started a waste collection program that includes all food waste and dog waste and much more. They provided all households with the green mini bin and it is collected on our regular garbage day. Maybe you could contact someone at your waste management office and find out how to get your community involved in this kind of waste collection. Good luck.
November 28th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Your dog is a cutie!
About the bags - go to the Dollar Store. You can get 60 compostible doggie bags for $1. They are a little on the thin side, but they do the job. At least you know the bags will break down quickly in the landfill. Right now our green bins can't be used for dog waste but I really hope soon they may consider this in the future.
DIY dog food - don't forget to supplement with vitamins (ask your vet). I use ground beef, barley, brown rice, pre-soaked dried or canned beans (any kind), low salt powdered chicken soup stock and carrots. Be sure to use enough water to cook the rice and beans till quite soft (2-3 hours at med-low). The food lasts 5 days well sealed in a container in the fridge. I buy the beef in quantity at Sam's or Costco and store "snow balls" in the freezer so it can be thrown on anytime. I have been feeding my two dogs this since the dog food "scare" and they really really love this food and of course they smell better too. (yes - dogs that are fed DIY food smell nicer!).
By the way, don't forget to socialize your puppy. Recently I have heard some people actually plan play dates for their dogs in order to socialize them. I prefer the leash free dog parks - but you vet will probably tell you not to take your dog there until at least 9 months old (and all shots have been given)
Enjoy your new dog. Give her your heart and she will give you hers.
December 4th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Thanks for the tips DeeDee, they were most helpful. Scout is certainly a socialized puppy. I take her to a big field every evening where she runs around and plays with about 10 other dogs. It's great fun to watch them all chase each other and wrestle.