Search Raise A Green Dog for tips, tricks and info to help you raise a green dog!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The top 5 things you can do in 2009 to have a healthier, happier pup and help the environment at the same time!

Raise a Green Dog has been in existence for over a year now. We are so happy that 'being green' is becoming much more important to dogs and dog lovers. It's becoming so popular, in fact, that our blog was featured in both Dog Fancy and Dog World Magazines in 2008!

This past year more and more green products and services have come to market than any other year in history - thanks to many concerned dog owners and forward thinking companies.

We believe the trend will only grow and continue, more knowledge will be gained by concerned, information seeking dog lovers, and more and more pups will be helped by practicing eco-friendly, organic, and sustainable practices. And the environment will be all the better!

For our end of the year post, we thought we would highlight the five most important things you can do for you and your dog to have a healthier, happier pup in 2009. By doing just a few things you can make a big difference in the life of your dog and help the environment at the same time!

#1

Feed your dog the best food your money can buy.

An organic raw food diet is the very best you can feed your dog, for a longer and healthier life. Other great diets include organic dehydrated raw foods, cooking for your dog, and last but not least organic kibble (but be sure and research how your source processes the kibble - the least amount of processing is always best, and no high heat to destroy all the good stuff).

#2

Water is the basis of life.

Water, it's the most important nutrient for a dog's healthy life. And dogs need lots of it. Did you know that an animal can loose all of its fat and half of its protein and survive, but only a 10% loss of body water causes serious illness.

Since water is so important to our quality of life, the quality of our water needs to be of great concern. With reports of fluoride and chlorine in tap water, Giardia in standing puddles, salts, and lawn and farming chemicals in rivers and ponds, how do you know if your water is safe?

It's always best to filter your pups drinking water to reduce levels of chlorine and fluoride in your tap water. Use non-leaching plastic bottles to carry water for when you travel, and read more of these tips to keep your pups water safe.

#3

Make sure your dog's toys are safe!

Us dogs, we love our toys. But not all the toys on the market are safe - with reports of lead and other chemicals in toys, be sure you seek out only toys that are safe - like organic toys, toys made in the USA, and toys made from forward thinking and concerned companies.

Or make your dog a toy from some of your old cotton towels or wool socks lying around the house. They'll have fun and you'll save money!

#4

Keep your dog's outside environment safe.

Us dogs, we love the great outdoors. We love romping around in the yard, digging holes, eating grass, and taking our daily walks. Back in the old days a dog's environment was pretty safe - no chemicals put on the lawns, no dangerout algae deterrents put in ponds and lakes, no salts put on the roads to melt the ice.

But now chemicals are everywhere. Take steps to make your dog's environment the safest it can be. Turn your lawn into an organic chemical free lawn - and spend more time with your pup playing and fetching and running around there. Stay away from salted roads, chemical laden ponds and neighborhood areas that have been treated.

These chemicals can be dangerous and have long term, detrimental affects on your dog and his/her life. Oh, and be sure and use biodegradable poo bags when you're out and about and dispose of the poo the eco-friendly way!

#5

Keep your dog's inside environment safe!

The inside of your house is your dog's haven, home, and where they spend the most time. But many homes have lots of chemicals around the home - from professional carpet cleaning products used to clean carpet, to floor, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, to air sanitizers and more.

Make it a goal for 2009 to rid your home of unnecessary and dangerous chemicals, for you and your dog. How? Utilize all natural and safe cleaners on your floors, kitchen, bathrooms and carpet. And vow to utilize vinegar and water to clean more of your home - it's the safest, easiest, and most economical way to clean! These all natural cleaners work great on tough grease and grime.

These are just a few of the things you can do to help your pup be healthier and happier - and help the environment at the same time! Check out my blog for lots of other green dog tips!

In 2009, we plan on revamping our blog to help you find green dog information faster and easier, so look for some changes in search capabilities. And we'll be revitalizing the look of the blog to make it more attractive and easy on the eyes.

We hope you have a safe, happy, healthy and wonderful 2009...Here's to a great green year!

Resources:

Organic Dog Foods

Water, the basis of a dog's life

Dog toys, green organic and made in the USA

Green dog gear - beds, clothing, collars and more

Environmental Products: For the home, safe, healthy and happy! Getting ready for lawn care!

Friday, December 19, 2008

We're in Dog World!

What an incredible honor!

This past Summer, we got a call from Wendy Bedwell-Wilson, a fantastic writer working with Dog World magazine. She was doing a story on how a family can help reduce their dog's carbon pawprint.

She did a Google search and found a link to Raise A Green Dog, and contacted us. We talked with her for about two hours, sharing with her all the things we do in our life to be more green. Turns out she's very green herself, so we had a lot in common.

We saw the other week that the issue had come out on the newsstands so we ran and got a copy today. What a great article. Wendy did a fantastic job touching on all aspects of a dogs carbon pawprint and shared lots of important information on how a family can help their pup be more green, be more healthy and help the environment at the same time.

Here's a pdf link to the article, or you can click on the images and enlarge them for a better view. Enjoy the article!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Do one thing for nature this Christmas!

One of our MySpace friends shared this video with us this morning and we wanted to share it with you!

The BBC has put together a great website to help all of nature! They want to help you get friendlier with wildlife and give you lots of ideas on how you can do just that.

Enjoying the outdoors will do you some good and, as long as you're careful, you will do some good for wildlife as well. It's as simple as doing one thing, no matter how big or small that one thing is. Or if you're really keen you can do lots and lots of one things.

Make this the year you do one thing for nature.

Simple, easy to do things really can make a big difference. And if we all did just one simple thing, we'd be making a big difference together. Check out their tips!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Last minute holiday shopping for your green dog!

We found some super cool last minute shopping ideas for your green dog! Check out these:

Complete Natural Nutrition Terrabone Chew Treat For Dogs And Canines - Regular

Complete Natural Nutrition Terrabone Chew Treat For Dogs And Canines - Regular

$3.09

Dr. Harvey's Barkotti Treats For Dogs - Medium to Large Dogs

Dr. Harvey's Barkotti Treats For Dogs - Medium to Large Dogs

$15.99

Free Range Dog Chews Meat and Sweet Potato Nuggets - Lamb 1 lb. Bag

Free Range Dog Chews Meat and Sweet Potato Nuggets - Lamb 1 lb. Bag

$16.49

Merrick Sarge Canine Beef Bone For Dogs

Merrick Sarge Canine Beef Bone For Dogs

$6.79

Raw Advantage Frozen Free Range Beef Bones Mixed 2 lbs.

Raw Advantage Frozen Free Range Beef Bones Mixed 2 lbs.

$14.29

Wagatha's Organic Dog Biscuit Treats - 9 oz. Cranberry Cheddar

Wagatha's Organic Dog Biscuit Treats - 9 oz. Cranberry Cheddar

$8.49

Wet Noses Holiday Dog Treats

Wet Noses Holiday Dog Treats

$7.99

Dr. Harvey's Le Dogue Bites Health Treats Beef 3 oz.

Dr. Harvey's Le Dogue Bites Health Treats Beef 3 oz.

$15.59

Pawsitively Gourmet Holiday Snowflake Dog Cookies For Canines

Pawsitively Gourmet Holiday Snowflake Dog Cookies For Canines

$6.99

Pawsitively Gourmet Holiday Traditions Dog Cookies For Canines

Pawsitively Gourmet Holiday Traditions Dog Cookies For Canines

$10.79

Raw Advantage Whole Chicken Necks 2 lbs.

Raw Advantage Whole Chicken Necks 2 lbs.

$13.69

Justin's Nut Butter Organic Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs Single

Justin's Nut Butter Organic Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs Single

$0.79

Friday, December 5, 2008

Update: Johann's Howling Howliday Giveaway!

Oh, look what came in the mail the other day? Another great prize for my Howling Howliday Giveaway. The nice folks at EcoDiscoveries sent us their entire product line of enzyme and plant-based liquid household cleaners (for bath, kitchen, baby's room, tub/tile, the air, multi-purpose and more) for one of our three giveaway winners! And they want to send e-coupons to all those who entered!

The cleaners are all natural, safe and contain only ingredients like water, surfactants (from coconuts), and citric acid (from lemons & limes). And you know how much we love green stuff - keeping you and your pups' environment safe from nasty chemicals is so important.

Wow, some lucky green pup is gonna rake it in with this prize. Don't delay, get your photo entry in soon. There's still lots of time to get your friends and family to vote for you as many times as they want! And lots of time for you to win!

And if you'd like to add my button to your website to remind other dogs to vote for you! Grab this button (right click and save) and then add it to the side bar of your blog, and link it up to my website Giveaway page!

This year, make it a green dog holiday!

This year is a great year to have a green dog holiday!

With over 74 million dogs in the US, you know your pups are leaving their pawprint on the environment during the holidays, just like the two-leggers can.

But by reducing waste, purchasing environmentally responsible pup products, utilizing environmentally safe household products and by taking other sustainable measures, you and your pup can have a healthier, happier holiday and environment at the same time!

Need some tips? Try these:

  • Make your pup a fabulous homemade Christmas stocking, from recycled items around your home.
  • Wrap your 'best friend's' gifts with reused and reusable materials, like paper sacks, and cut outs from old Christmas cards. Save what's left over and use again next year!
  • Purchase your tree from a tree farm and help save forests and unnecessary cutting, and recycle it after the holidays. Or consider getting a live tree and then plant it in your yard after use.
  • Make your own Christmas ornaments from recycled materials, string some popcorn and berries, add a solar powered wreath to your front door, use solar holiday lights for your outdoor decorating and purchase low energy LED lights to conserve.
  • Send your pup pals an e-card, rather than purchasing cards. Or make your own with items and photos of your pup.
  • Shop online and conserve energy.
  • Donate to your local shelter or rescue group and give back this holiday season.
  • Keep your dog from unnecessarily killing wildlife while enjoying the outdoors.
  • Purchase gifts for your pup made with organic or recycled materials.
  • Feed and give your pup foods and treats that have organic or all natural ingredients for a longer, healthier life.
  • When getting ready for the holidays, use cleaning and other household products that are good for the environment and safe for you and your dog.
  • Buy gifts made closer to home, and help lower the energy costs of shipping goods.
  • Use environmentally friendly deicers on your drive and sidewalks - good for your pets and the environment.
  • Buy sustainable and durable products that don't have to be replaced so often.
  • Spend quality time with your pup teaching them tricks, like turning off the light when they leave the room, and putting items in the recycle bin.
  • Install a Doggie Dooley and recycle that pet waste, and when on the road use biodegradable poo bags when cleaning up the doo.
  • Buy products for your pup made out of all natural materials, like hemp dog collars and organic cotton clothing.
  • Spend some time making some of your pups toys and goods - take an afternoon and turn those old socks or towels into a great tugging toy, or old blankets into bedding, or leftover material for a great dog bed!
  • Cook for your pup, for a healthier dog and a healthier environment.
Need some more ideas? Check out my Green Dog Christmas Squidoo lens, for featured holiday products, toys, fun stuff and more.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...