These days we are very conscious of being green and trying to recycle all our food packaging, paper and even food waste. Some people have more bins in their kitchen then they do cupboards but are there still ways in which we can be environmentally friendly that we have not considered? There are ways to be an environmentally pet owner as well as being green in the home.
One of the best ways to help the environment is to adopt an unwanted pet from a shelter rather than buy a puppy/kitten from a breeder. There are so many thousands of unwanted pets in the UK alone that it does not make sense to increase the demand for more animals by buying from a breeder when you can rescue one for a fraction of the cost and they are just as adequate a pet.
If you are a cat owner you can help the environment by putting a bell on your cat’s collar so that they do not kill other animals such as birds, mice and other small creatures. Dog owners can help the environment by picking up their dogs poo and using it in a composter rather than filling landfills with yet more waste.
Consider keeping your dog on a lead on walks if you know they are prone to killing local wildlife. Whilst dogs do need to burn off their energy the local wildlife needs to remain balanced to survive.
By neutering your pet you are stopping anymore unwanted kittens/puppies entering the world. As discussed the dog and cat shelters are already full and more kittens or puppies is not helping the situation, if you are giving them away then you are taking away potential parents of an animal shelter animal. The food you choose can also play a big part in being environmentally green. Choose food that is natural and additive free, check the meat content to ensure it is a quality meat and not the nasty leftovers that could make your pet ill. Lots of foods do contain natural ingredients that are not hurting the environment. Food like James Well beloved, Purina and Royal Canin are great foods that will feed most dog/cat types, size and age. Royal Canin do a complete maxi food for all age dogs so no matter what age dog you adopt you can feed them with either Royal Canin Maxi Ageing 8+, Royal Canin Maxi Junior, or Royal Canin Maxi Adult.