Showing posts with label Greening the dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greening the dogs. Show all posts

Monday, June 2, 2008

Greening my dogs

This is part of my To-Do List, not that the dogs really care one way or the other. As long as there is kibble in the dish and water in the trough, they are pretty cool and happy. Yesterday, Chile commented that I should just stick a bucket under the sloppy puppy when he drinks, 'cause, you know doggie drool could totally be greywater!

Other than that tip, which I am still thinking of how we could get a rubbermaid trash bin under a 50 lb. dalmatian while he drinks, the 'eco burban dad has come up with our first greener doggie tip of our journey so far. We occasionally let our doggies have a raw hide chew and the ones we had been buying from TJs, not only come from China, but are sold in a small 6-pack. A total waste of carbon emission and packaging, when we can go through 6 in a week.

I ventured into Costco yesterday, mostly because we needed softener salt and I was amazed at all the things I bought before, that I no longer feel like I need or even want any longer. That aside, we checked out the price of rawhide chews. $14.49 for 25 huge chews. The very wise 'eco burban dad offered his skillz with a chop saw to cut one of those huge chews (which come of the good ol' US of A!) into 3 chews. Sold!

10 minutes, a serious looking DeWalt chop saw, a very helpful littlest eco 'burban boy who brought along his own play saw to help and a little rawhide dust later - presto! 75 chews that will last months, from much closer than China, and only 1 plastic bag as waste instead of 12 bags from TJs. And... only a couple of weird stares from neighbors when they saw a dad and his boy using a chop saw to disassemble dog treats! Priceless!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Digger the Dalmatian

Remember when I said I had landscaping and flowers I really was proud of? Turns out Digger (a.k.a Tahoe) the 10 month old Dalmatian really thinks they're special too. Yes, Digger is a nickname for his new favorite hobby... So, I am in need of an eco-friendly way to keep this dirt happy dalmatian OUT of the dirt! Greening the dogs is one of the things on my list, but I just figured that would mean food, treats and poop-disposal... not ground treatments. Today I tried Cayenne sprinkled in the "dig-zone". LOTS of Cayenne. No luck keeping the dog way from the blue fescue grass, but my landscaping sure does smell tasty! What is an green girl to do? We don't even use chemicals to rid our lawn of the moles, grubs and various other critters, so I won't be using any of those mystery sprays you find at the local pet mega store. Any great home remedies or should I just give up and buy The Dog Whisperer Book? We certainly aren't getting rid of Digger anytime soon!