News: Just one more reason to have an organic lawn!

We posted this on my main blog, but it's just too important not to share it here!

Many of you know that we have an organic lawn. No unnatural fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides have ever been used on our property since we bought the land and built our house on it in 2000. And before we got the property it was idle farm land for about 15 years.

Why do we not use these 'chemicals'? Because we believe that those unnatural fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are very dangerous - not only to us pups and the kitties, but to my Mum, and children who visit, as well. Despite the non-use of these 'chemicals,' we have beautiful flowering plants, birds, bees, butterflies, and a lush green (mostly weed free) lawn.

Mum grew up in an organic environment. GrandMum was organic, before organic was cool. Mum ate organically grown veggies from GrandMum's garden all the time. And she turned the entire family into vegetarians when Mum was 16. So it's no surprise that my Mum has continued the practice - all that Scott's 4 step program is really foreign to her and really unnecessary.

Because of our 'green' belief, we started a blog devoted to ways in which you can help your pup go green and have a healthier, happier pup and environment. Check it out sometime. And be sure and read our post about keeping your lawn safe and green!

The other day on Raise A Green Dog, we posted about all natural lawn and garden care alternatives and the dangers that chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides pose for children and pets. We received a comment that we just had to share.

Melinda, at ElementsInTime, told us about what happened to her kittie, Raisin, after the vineyard behind their home was sprayed. It's a tail with a happy ending, luckily, but one that is incredibly important. Be sure and stop by and read her post - Don't Use Herbicides or Pesticides, ever!

And keep safe out there!

News: The scoop on poop: As dog waste is uncovered by spring thaw, environmental and health effects are pondered

From the Tahoe Daily Tribune...

The scoop on poop: As dog waste is uncovered by spring thaw, environmental and health effects are pondered

Sara Thompson and Kyle Magin/ North Lake Tahoe Bonanza March 22, 2008

On a sunny spring day, one would expect those strolling along the Nevada trail off Kahle Drive to be looking around at the beautiful Tahoe scenery. Instead, walkers stare down at the ground - to avoid stepping in the plentiful dog waste.

"There should be plastic baggies to pick it up," said Steve Baker, who walks his dog Nikita at the trail three times a week. Baker said he knows funding is an issue for receptacles, but one should be at the Nevada trail head.

In the Tahoe Keys area, the Cove East trailhead supplies "mutt mitts" - plastic bags shaped specifically for cleaning up dog waste.

An estimated 15,000 dogs live in the Lake Tahoe Basin, causing a cumulative effect on the ecosystem, said Shawn Butler, California Tahoe Conservancy urban land management program coordinator.

Read more!

Environmental Products: Keep the lawn safe and green!

Did you know that those chemicals that you put on your lawn could be harming not only your children, but your pets as well!

According to an article published on PetStyle.com and written by Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD Holistic Veterinarian...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the most extensive research to date on the impacts of environmental toxins on children's health. The report indicates that over 30% of childhood diseases can be linked to exposure to environmental toxins. According to WHO researchers, 13 million human deaths could be prevented annually by improving the environment.

While the WHO report deals specifically with the human animal, not pets, we know that many of these same effects do occur in non-human animals. Much like children, our pets have an increased risk of exposure to toxins on a lawn, as they are low to the ground, spend a lot of time rolling in the grasses, chew on almost anything they find in the lawn, and their metabolic rate is higher than an adult's. In addition, our pets don't get bathed every day, and chronic dermal contact can add up to overall doses that may be lethal.

Read more!

And if you are looking for great products to keep your lawn green, and healthier and happier for your pup! Check out Gardens Alive!

News: Group builds dog park using green methods!

We found this in the Arizona Republic...

Ron Sanzone Special for The Republic

Although its landscape is predominantly brown, a new dog park in New River (near Phoenix) wants to be the greenest in the nation.

Jackass Acres K-9 Korral believes it may be the first completely green dog park in the United States.

Located at 41635 Old Black Canyon Highway, off a frontage road that connects Anthem and New River, the park was built by Anthem Pets, a non-profit animal-welfare organization. It is designed to leave as small a footprint as possible on the environment. advertisement

"Our goal in building this park was to be environmentally friendly," said Michelle Roig, president-elect of Anthem Pets.

The park's 2 1/2 acres were cleared by hand, removing nothing but weeds. Everything in the park is run on solar energy, from an electronic gate opener and water fountains to a lighting system that will be installed next fall or winter. Wooden benches and ramadas are made from timber that was felled by nature, not man. "Because we (the board of Anthem Pets) are all environmentally friendly, we thought this was something unique to do," said Barbara Ward-Windgassen, president of Anthem Pets. "We just wanted to be friendly to the community, friendly to the environment."

On March 1, the public can get an up-close look at the eco dog park during a grand-opening ceremony from 1 to 4 p.m. Don't bring your dogs, though. For one day, it will be a human-only park.

The park has been open since November, but Anthem Pets wanted to wait until its work was nearly complete before hosting a grand opening. Any dog owner can use the park, but an annual membership is required to do so. There are 600 members from the north Valley. Households can join for an annual fee of $35 for one dog or $50 for two or more dogs. All dogs must be vaccinated to be able to use the park.

Anthem Pets hopes that its construction of a green dog park will serve as a model to not only to other parks, but to everyone.

Information: www.anthempets.com or 623-551-2234.

Get on the Fun Dog Tricks train!

I thought it was about time for another fun link project! And we'd love for lots of dog bloggers to participate. It's fun!

I absolutely love learning new tricks. And there are so many tricks us pups can do, all we need is to learn them. I've learned a lot of tricks, but I know there are many more I can have fun doing. And I know all of us pups would love a cool list of fun tricks we can learn and do with our humans. So, I put together this Fun Dog Tricks Train, for us to all have a great list of tricks!

If you participated in my other Link Projects, you know what to do! If not, read on.

-------Copy and paste starting with this line and everything below----------

There are all kinds of fun tricks for us dogs, right? Well, let's make a list! And share it with the dog world!

Here's how it works:

1.) Copy and paste this post beginning with the "copy and paste" line at the top of the post to the "copy and paste" line at the end of the post, courtesy of Johann The Dog!

2.) Substitute the Host Tag (see below) and one of the vacant “Tricks” spots with the name of your dog trick and the URL of your blog, just like I did.

3.) When you find out that someone has added this link post to their blog and their trick isn't listed on your post, practice good paw and add their link in one of your “Tricks” slots, by copying his/her 'Host Tag’ and paste it over one of your “Tricks” slots below, and republish. This makes the list the same on everyone's blog!

5.) Encourage and invite your readers to do the same and soon this can grow fast. And if your not a dog, but you blog about dogs, or own a dog, you are also welcome to participate!

Host Tag: Danger! - JohannTheDog

1. Danger! (run and sit between your 2-leggers legs) - JohannTheDog

2. Rollover - Rescue Me

3. Beg - Raise a Green Dog

4. Bang! (play dead)

5. Jump over 2-leggers' Back - Pacco de Mongrel

6. Cover Your Eyes - Tummy Scratch!

7. Push the door closed - Jake's Progress

8. Super chase dogs - Gus and Louie

9. Trick

10. Trick

11. Trick

12. Trick

13. Trick

14. Trick

15. Trick

16. Trick

17. Trick

18. Trick

19. Trick

20. Trick

There it is! It's as easy as that! I hope to make lots new friends with this project and learn about all kinds of new tricks I can learn! Please leave a comment here if you have added this project to your blog, so that I can add you to the list!

---------------Copy and paste this line and above------------------

Pup Products: New Eco Slumber Bed!

Oh, check out the new Eco Slumber Bed from West Paw, very cool!

Sleep in eco heaven by getting your puppy dog an earth friendly pet bed! Eco Slumber bed combines eco fabric, made with 85% recycled IntelliLoft fibers, and then filled with West Paw's 100% recycled IntelliLoft fiber fill.

Who knew that purchasing a high quality, retro dog bed would help devert plastic from landfills and reduce energy use?! Featuring a zipper opening to remove cover, both pillow and cover are machine washable.

West Paw Recycled Fill Eco Slumber Bed S $77.99

Environmental Products: Keep it clean and safe!

Could your housecleaning actually be dirtying the environment and harming you and your pets? Here are some tips on choosing household cleansers that will help keep your home both clean and “green,” from the Union of Concerned Scientists!

Avoid harmful ingredients. Though they might not bear a warning label, many household cleansers contain ingredients that pose problems for the environment and public health.

• Petroleum: Many conventional detergents (“surfactants”), solvents, and polishes contain paraffin, mineral oil, diethylene glycol, perchloroethylene, or butyl cellosolve—all of which are derived from petroleum. Extraction and refinement of this nonrenewable resource contribute to air and water pollution.
• Phosphates/EDTA: Phosphates, which have traditionally been used in detergents to soften water and increase cleaning power, encourage algae growth in waterways, depriving marine life of oxygen. EDTA, a common substitute for phosphates, degrades slowly in the environment.
• Phthalates: Manufacturers of many cleaning products use phthalates to prolong their products’ scent. However, these chemicals have been linked to cancer and disease of the reproductive system in laboratory animals.
• Antibacterial agents: The use of cleansers containing antibacterials such as triclosan and benzalkonium chloride could be contributing to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in human illnesses that are more difficult to treat.
• Chlorine bleach: This popular whitener and disinfectant can harm the environment by contributing to the formation of organochlorines (chlorine-carbon compounds) such as the chlorofluorocarbons that damage Earth’s ozone layer.

Choose “greener” alternatives. It’s possible to give your house an adequate cleaning without harmful chemicals. Look for products that contain environmentally friendly ingredients such as:

• Citrus- and plant-based oils. Natural oils can be used as degreasers (orange, lemon), disinfectants (tea tree, eucalyptus), and polishes (olive). They also freshen the air at the same time.
• Sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, and sodium silicate. These compounds work like phosphates and EDTA to soften water, but without the harmful impact.
• Enzymes. Natural drain openers use digesting bacteria and enzymes to eat through most clogs.
• Non-chlorine bleach. These products use oxygen to whiten and brighten clothes.

Make your own. Items on your kitchen shelves can serve as effective cleansers—at a fraction of the cost of brand-name products. A paste of baking soda and water, for example, is good for scouring, while diluted white vinegar will clean windows and kill bacteria, mold, and viruses.

If you would like to check out the safety of those items under your kitchen sink, visit this website from the National Library of Medicine, and search to see if your household cleaner is safe. And if you are looking for some wonderful all natural cleaning products, visit OnlyNaturalPet.com for some great ones!

News: Where do the Presidential candidates stand on the environment?

AlterNet, an award-winning news magazine and online community that creates original journalism and amplifies the best of dozens of other independent media sources, has put together a great article highlighting where the Presidential candidates stand on the environment. AlterNet's aim is to inspire citizen action and advocacy on the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, and health care issues.

Which candidates support nuclear and coal? Who's fighting climate change and supports renewables? Here's the scoop. If you're not sure where presidential contenders, Democratic or Republican, stand on environmental issues -- it's not surprising. There has been little discussion in the debates. According to the Natural Resources Defense Action Fund, you're more likely to know what a candidate thinks of UFOs than their position on what we should do about global warming. On Tim Russert's Meet the Press there have been 827 questions to candidates and zero mentioned global warming. Same for George Stephanopoulus on ABC's This Week and Bob Schiefffer on CBS's Face the Nation. CNN's Wolf Blitzer had two questions out of 402 and Chris Wallace on Fox also had two out of 563. Despite mainstream media's coverage, where candidates stand on global warming and our energy future should be a pressing concern for voters. And there are differences between the candidates. What are the main issues? Read more and find out!

Big debate: Which pet has a lower impact on the environment; a dog or a cat?

There's a big debate going on over at Yahoo Answers about which pet has a lower impact on the environment; a dog or a cat? Michael C starts off the conversation with:

I've noticed a dramatic increase in the number of dog owners in the city where I live. In addition to the fact that the dogs don't have much space to roam (I live downtown), I've noticed that there is a lot of feces on the sidewalks, and that so many dogs are peeing on neighborhood bushes that the plants are dying. Since the feces and urine ultimately end up in my local body of water, there must be some environmental impact to this dog ownership surge. On the other hand, cats use litter boxes, and those get sent to the landfill, so I'm wondering which pet people think is a more environmentally responsible choice.

What do you think? Leave us a comment, let us know your thoughts.

Tips: How to make a great pet bed!

Lori Marie, over at Pretty Little Things, has an amazingly thorough tutorial on how to make a fabulous pet bed using scraps of fabric you just may have lying around the house. We just had to share it. Thanks Lori! What a great way to save the environment and your pocketbook!