Of course all animals make waste, but most of them do so in an ecosystem that knows what to do with it. Dogs and city streets? Not so much. In my town, the routine usually involves a plastic shopping bag repurposed for poop disposal and tossed in a trashcan. I imagine a weighted shopping bag is preferable to an empty one that gets scooped up by the wind and ends up in a tree or the ocean–but the thought of mountains of poop-filled eternally-plastic shopping bags in the landfill makes me exceedingly squeamish.
And I suppose suburban and rural dog guardians have their host of disposal dilemmas as well, which brings me to Flush Puppies. Flush Puppies are dog poop disposal bags that are, as the name suggests, flushable. They are made of PVA film, a water-soluble material that completely
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Okay, it’s not the most life-changing DIY you’ve ever seen, but the sad little dog bed my 4-pound Yorkie Winnie called home needed some help! Store-bought beds are easily $50 and not great quality, so I thought, “Hey, why not just make one.”
After much Internet research, a perfect solution (and creative inspiration!) was found via Kristen, a designer and Etsy seller.
Because Winnie is so tiny and likes to nest in small spots, I knew an ordinary suitcase would be too big for her. Luckily, in the back of my closet I had this vintage Samsonite hat case that I’ve been carting around for years–finally, a reason to dust it off!
Again, a stroke of luck when it turned out that Winnie’s old dog bed was the perfect fit! Check out Design^Sprout for more
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It may be all fun and games for Fido, but when dogs chew their toys to bits, the leftover plastic pieces pile up in landfills. In 2005 alone, Americans generated 6.5 million tons of non-durable plastic.
The environmental impact of doggie destruction got pet toy-maker Spencer Williams thinking. Williams’ Montana-based West Paw Design already used recycled materials like soda bottles and production scraps in beds and toys, and manufactured products in a green building. But to take the company’s eco practices one step further, Williams and his engineers developed a new, rubber-like material called Zogoflex.
Zogoflex differs from other plastics typically used in dog toys in that it’s engineered to be recyclable and is made from an FDA-approved material. Now if Spot gnaws
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The current economic scenario is creating cause to worry for most of us–but we humans aren’t the only ones facing crisis. Many pets are at risk when homeowners are forced to relocate due to change in employment or foreclosure, or when their owners can no longer afford to care for them.
According to USA Today, shelters that are experiencing an increase in pet intakes are almost without exception in areas where the foreclosure rate is high. And there’s growing concern that another, perhaps bigger wave of pet surrenders is in the offing, the result of the worsening economy and growing joblessness that will affect additional homeowners as well as renters.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking to think of losing your companion animal along with your job or house, below are
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