Earth Day and Your Pet

Welcome to Earth (Day 2022)! It’s that time of year to hear advice and tips on reducing your carbon footprint, reusing appropriate items, and easy ways to recycle paper, plastic, and glass products. There are lots of easy ways to ‘Go Green,’ but with so many options, it might be overwhelming.  

Let AVC give you a little different angle! How about some small steps to reduce your pet’s carbon footprint? This spring, challenge yourself by picking two or three to work on implementing in your pet family’s routine. 

Don’t Overfeed

The production of food, and specifically, meat, takes a particular toll on the environment. Overfeeding your pet not only can damage their health, these food production resources have the ability to impact the planet all on their own. And… if you don’t feed your pet as much, they will produce less waste. Which leads us to our next point… 

Biodegradable Poop Bags

Cleaning up after your pet is what you signed up for when you first brought them into your family. While you may be able to leave those doggie doo-doo spots in your backyard for a couple of days, this isn’t the case when you’re not at home or out on a walk. Leaving pet waste too long can result in contamination and the spread of bacteria and possible parasites.  
 
Use biodegradable poop bags to cut down on the use of eco-unfriendly plastics. Not all bags that claim to be ‘biodegradable’ are, so do a little bit of research before picking one that’s right for your family. 
 
Other eco-friendly products for you and your pet include recyclable or sustainably sourced toys, plant-based cleaning products, and recyclable pet food packaging.

Brush The Dog Outside

Now is the perfect time! When the winter coat is shedding, take Fido outside and let the clumps of fur spread across the lawn. Pet hair is perfect for birds and squirrels to build their nests, and you also avoid the typical vacuum and trash bag with indoor brushing clean up.

Walk That Dog Outside Too!

While you’re outside, get to walkin’! If you’re a dog owner, you already have less of an excuse to get outside for a walk and leave the car at home. If the pandemic has taught us anything, find those different walks to take to the interesting places around where you live. Close enough to the store or a park? Perfect! Reducing the need for car travel is always a plus with the planet in mind.

Recycle

With spring cleaning, have you found a surplus of used or unneeded pet supplies? Extra bedding, collars, toys, and even food are perfect for donating to the local shelter or animal rescue. This ensures these items stay out of a landfill and are put to good use from people and pets that need them.  

Plant a Tree

Either in celebration or in memory of a pet, the Arbor Day Foundation provides an easy way to buy or donate trees inexpensively, while also positively affecting the environment – and Arbor Day is just around the corner!

Spay or Neuter with AVC!

Ensuring your four-legged family doesn’t contribute to pet overpopulation problems is a strong step to take to protect the environment. Give us a call or contact us and let AVC help!