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Monday, December 30, 2013

Start your dog's new year off right! Help them be more green and healthy.

It's a brand new year, and we want to wish you the best of years; filled with fun, happiness, greenness and health for both you and your dog!

The new year is a great time to start new habits to be more green, eco-friendly and healthy; especially for your dog! Let's get started on some great ideas of how you can have a healthier, happier pup and environment in 2014.

Remember, one small step can turn into a giant leap before you know it!

Schedule quality time with your dog. Get out there and enjoy a great hike, play individually in the yard, or participate in some of the great activities you can enjoy with your dog like agility, lure coursing, barn hunting, musical freestyle and more.

Obey the leash laws! When on your walks or hikes, follow the letter of the law and keep  your pup on a leash and away from other pups who may not enjoy the interaction, from two leggers that may not appreciate your dog sniffing around or jumping on them, and from unnecessarily killing wildlife.

Use environmentally friendly cleaning and household products for a healthier dog and environment. Your dog's home is their sanctuary, keep it free from dangerous chemicals and toxins by learning how you can take steps to clean the healthy, environmentally friendly way. RAGD has partnered with Go Green Dog Go who has a wonderful, healthy, safe cleaning product that would be perfect to try in 2014 - Green Dog All Surface Pet Cleaner!

Ditch those chemicals and use earth friendly products to help your lawn and garden thrive; and keep your dog safer and healthier! Learn how you can have a healthier, safer, organic lawn and garden. It's really a lot easier than you think and only takes tweaks to your current and normal routine.

Take the time to evaluate your dog's diet. If you feed kibble, visit Dog Food Advisor to be sure you are feeding them the healthiest, safest food you can. We like Earthborn Holistic who has been a RAGD Partner for several years. They are very highly rated with Dog Food Advisor and have great healthy ingredients and manufacturing processes. If you feed raw, be sure you are feeding antibiotic, hormone free meats, preferably organic. And, this year try branching out into other meats, and safe fruits and vegetables, to provide a wider variety of nutrition for your dog.

Take a look at your dog's bed. Is it healthy? Is it free from formaldehyde, and other material that's been treated with toxic chemicals? Is it eco-friendly and safe? If not, consider a new bed from RAGD Partners Island Dog Design and P.L.A.Y. These beds are much healthier and safer for your dog than many of the dog beds on the market, and you can even purchase a cover and fill it with your old towels, clothing, tshirts, blankets and more!

Got treats? Go healthy! Want to provide your dog with healthy, safe treats? Treats that are made and sourced in the US? Take a look at RAGD Partner Clean Conscience Pet who provides a wide variety of healthier treat options for your dog. And, take a little time each month and make your dog some amazingly easy, healthy and organic treats at home. We have lots of ideas on our Healthy Yums! Pinterest board.

Take a good look at your dog's toys. Are they safe? Do they contain lead or other dangerous chemicals and toxins? To find out, visit our post 'Is Your Tennis Ball Safe?' and learn how you can determine if your dog's toys pass the safe and healthy test. If you are looking for amazingly fun, eco-friendly and healthier toys, check out RAGD Partners P.L.A.Y and Go Green Dog Go and their variety of healthier, safer toy options for your dog.

It's winter and that means snow and ice! Before you grab that prolific consumer sidewalk and driveway de-icer that may be packed with dangerous chemicals, check out Safe Paw and feel confident that you aren't harming your dog or the environment!

Are you looking for some pawsome Do-It-Yourself projects for your dog? We've got 'em. Take the time to make some great items for your dog this year - from simple dog boots to keep those paws safe from harm, to easy to make coats to keep 'em warm, and great toy ideas that will entertain for hours! Visit our DIY Pinterest Board for lot of great ideas.

Do you like to read and learn, we do!? Visit your local library and bone up on some healthy reading for your dog. Your local library has an amazing array of books available from organic gardening and organic lawn care, to how to make your dog some great gear from simple coats to keep warm, to how to make raised dog feeders for healthier eating, homemade and safer toys and much more! You can also find great books on how to teach your dog tricks to help them be more well balanced, and clicker training for positive reinforcement training to help them learn the best ways to live with you.

How to combat the nasties the healthy way is one of the questions we get most at Raise A Green Dog. Check out our Ultimate Flea and Tick Guides to help you learn about the nasties and how to deal with them the most healthy, natural way possible for the health of your dog. You can also visit two of our RAGD Partners Earth Heart and Garden Delights for great products to help you on your dog's path to healthy.

Do you groom and bath your dog at home? Take them to your local, favorite groomer? Bone up on great information to help you better understand if the grooming products you, or your groomer, are using are safe; from shampoos to conditioners to wipes; make groom time a healthier, safer time for your dog. You can also check out RAGD Partners DERMagic and Organic Oscar for great products that are RAGD paw approved.

When you're out and about on your walks and hikes, be sure to take along your biodegradable poo bags! And if you are looking for a great product to put those 'used' bags, check out RAGD Partner Turdlebag for the easiest, safest way to keep it contained until you can dispose of it properly. When at home learn how you can dispose of your dog's doo the most environmentally and healthy way possible, via composting if you live in more remote areas and how to flush the doo if you are connected to your city's sewer treatment system.

Learn more about keeping your pet healthy, happy and reduce their carbon pawprint by subscribing to our Raise A Green Dog blog and our newsletter; and by becoming a fan on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. We'd love to have you!

All three of us at Raise A Green Dog with you an amazing healthy, happy, fun, loving and green New Year, and we look forward to bringing you lots of great info and fun in 2014! ~ Leslie, Johann and Gracie

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The 2013 Holiday Green Dog Gift Guide!

Throughout the year we are honored and grateful to work with some great companies who have the same mission as we do - to help dogs live a happier, healthier life while helping the environment!

Our Raise A Green Dog Partners are an amazing group of people who strive to bring to the pet market a wonderful array of toys, treats, beds, supplements, gear and more to help dogs be the very best they can be.

Today we wanted to share our top 10 dog products from our partner companies that will make every dog happy and healthier this holiday season!

So without further ado we bring you...

Raise A Green Dog's 2013 Holiday Green Dog Gift Guide


Toys - What dog doesn't love toys for the holidays! Toys are one of the top gift items for dogs this season and P.L.A.Y has a great selection of eco-friendly, healthier toys that are perfect for any dog. We all know that a tired dog, busy dog, thinking dog is a much happier dog and P.L.A.Y's new Wobble Ball fulfills that need! Just fill the toy with treats and let your dog get busy.


Grooming - Keeping your dog clean without harming your dog or the environment can be very easy with DERMagic's wonderful line of organic shampoo bars. From the Chamomile/Sage, Rosemary/Lavender and Peppermint/Tea Tree your dog will not only be smelling their best, but the ingredients is very mild to help nourish their skin rather than dry itout, and there are no added chemicals to harm your dog or the environment!


Treats - No doggie holiday stocking is complete without some healthy yums! Our recommendation this year is Clear Conscience Pet's Whole Lamb Trachea. These treats are perfect for any dog, not too crunchy, not too chewy, but just right; and can be broken up for treating more often with smaller pieces. These treats are grain-free, gluten-free, and ultra-low in carbohydrates, and an excellent natural source of chondroitin, glucosamine, and collagen, the building blocks of joint health. All of the Clear Conscience Pet treats are
'Made in the US' and 'Sourced from the US' and adhered to all FDA human grade manufacturing practices. In addition, they partner with independent local natural food processors in the same regions as the ranchers from where they source to reduce their carbon pawprint.


Natural Remedies -The holidays can be a very stressful time for any dog. That's why Earth Heart created an amazing product to help dogs cope more effectively in stressful situations. Canine Calm, sprayed on your dog, on their bed, in the car during travel, or just add to a holiday bandanna during all the hectic festivities can help your dog be less stressful and enjoy the holidays just as much as you do! And oh the smell is so wonderful, you'll be calmer too! Canine Calm is available in a 2 oz bottle, or a 15 ml perfect for diffusers.

Clean Up - You may not think cleaning products make good holiday gifts, but they sure do if you are looking to have a healthier, greener home for the health of your dog! Proudly made in Michigan, Green Dog All Surface Pet Cleaner is cleaning made easy.  Green Dog All Surface Pet Cleaner is environmentally friendly, and cleans and disinfects along with killing odor on contact. And you can use it safely and healthily on anything from carpets, to upholster; hard surfaces and soft; in home, cars and kennels.


Pick Up - Keeping our environment free of dog waste is so important to the health of our dogs, humans and the environment. But picking up isn't always an easy task. Imagine you're out on a nice hike, you need to pick up the doo, you've brought along your biodegradable poo bags, but where do you put the used ones? Like us, you used to put them in your hiking bag after double bagging. But no more! Now there's Turdlebag, a wonderful bag that holds that used pick up bag (no matter how big your dog is) and seals it up until you can dispose of it properly. And the bag has a great dispenser area for all those ready-to-use biodegradable poo bags all at the ready and attached to your leash What a wonderful, environmentally friendly gift for your green dog and dog lover!


Food - When it comes to food for your green dog you have lots of options. One wonderful option we want to share if you are a kibble feeder is Earthborn Holistic! From large dog to small, young to adult, natural, to grain-free natural and even moist grain-free natural, Earthborn Holistic is one of the healthiest ready-made dog foods on the market. Made in the US, Earthborn Holistic's, goal is to produce delicious, natural food for your pet and create awareness about our environment, too. One of their sustainable efforts is UPC's for Trees. Collected UPC codes from product packages sent in from purchasers have helped Earthborn plan nearly 175,000 trees to nourish our planet. And they have a full page dedicated to helping educate consumers about how they can help the environment as well.


Fleas - Fleas, they are nasty things. Fleas are not only a pest, but they can be dangerous for dogs. From flea bites to worms, fleas have no place with our dogs or in our home. That's why Garden Delights developed their natural Herbal Flea Repellent Sachets and Flea Repellent Collars. These products both contain only Garden Delights naturally grown herbs (from their organic produce and herb farm in Brush Prairie, Washington) including lavender, pennyroyal, feverfew, rosemary and southernwood.


Beds - No dog should be without their own bed! However, when considering a dog bed, think about what it's made of and what's inside! Many of the pet beds on the market contain dangerous chemicals inside the stuffing and coated on the outside material of the bed. That's why we love Island Dog Design dog beds, as they are made with materials that are free of chemicals and fire retardants; and they keep their shape and support; making their dog beds and crate pads healthier alternatives for dogs and their people.

We hope you'll join us in supporting these great companies and small businesses who strive to help our dogs live a happier, healthier life! And thank you for supporting Raise A Green Dog this year!

Happy Holidays!

Intro (edited) photo courtesy of Joseph Vasquez.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Give the gift of green to dogs and dog lovers this holiday season!

If you're looking for some great great gifts to give dogs and dog lovers this holiday season, don't miss our shop our Zazzle!

In our shop we have six wonderful designs from the popular 'lift a leg. fertilize a tree.' to 'reduce your carbon pawprint.' and four more!

The shop includes organic tees, BPA free water bottles, organic totes, dog shirts and more! And for our RAGD readers enjoy 20-50% off using code HOLIDAYSMADE at checkout! Offer is good through 12/6 at midnight. So hurry!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

It's #GivingTuesday: Ways you can help dogs in need this holiday season!

Today is Giving Tuesday, a wonderful day to put your plans in motion to give back to those in need!

After Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday, it's time to lend a paw and think about others.

To spur action and thought we've be together some great ideas of how you can give back to dogs (and other pets) this special day and throughout the holiday season and into 2014:
  • Local shelters need necessities! You can donate a wide variety of items from dog food to toys, treats, leashes, collars, food dishes, crates, litter, beds and more, to help alleviate costs shelters need to incur.
  • Dogs in need, need funds! Shelters and rescues provide a wide variety of services and transportation to help dogs get adopted. If you can donate monetarily to your local no-kill shelter and help pets in need.
  • Shelters always need volunteers! Shelters need volunteers to spend time with lonely pets, and to walk dogs to help them cope with the shelter environment. Call your local shelter and ask them how you can help to volunteer!
  • Rescues and shelters need supplies! Put together a gift basket for your local shelter - include cleaning items (like mops, brooms and vacuums), newspapers, grooming items, pet shampoo, blankets, towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, trash bags, office supplies (like pens, paper, computer equipment and more), rugs, kiddie pools (for the summer) and more to help save costs for the shelter and focus their efforts on getting dogs adopted!
  • Foster! Consider becoming a foster parent for a dog in need. Fostering helps dogs be more socialized, and comfortable in preparation for their new home, and helps them have an increased chance of being adopted.
  • Click! Just one click from your computer can help dogs in need! Visit the Animal Rescue Site and FreeKibble, as one click can provide food and other supplies to dogs in need.
  • Adopt! If you are ready, and have thought it through thoroughly, to add a pup to your family, consider adopting from your local animal shelter.
Giving back is part of living a green dog lifestyle! Today, think about how you can participate to help dogs in need today, tomorrow and into the future.

See all the animal related charities participating in #GivingTuesday by searching for partnering charitable organizations relating to animals, pets and dogs. And don't forget to provide any assistance you can to your favorite and/or local dog related charitable organization!

Spread the word!!!

To help spread the word - tweet via Twitter and share on Facebook - the following suggested posts and information so others can help dogs in need this Giving Tuesday! The included short link provides a link back to this post for those looking for ideas of how they can help.

Help dogs in need this #GivingTuesday! Great ideas to help your favorite shelter or rescue from @RaiseAGreenDog http://ow.ly/rp6ET

Want to help dogs in need this #GivingTuesday ? Great ideas about how you can help via @RaiseAGreenDog http://ow.ly/rp6Vp

It's #GivingTuesday ! Learn how you can help dogs in need this holiday season from @RaiseAGreenDog http://ow.ly/rp78D

Photos courtesy of SpotReporting on Flickr.
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