Sit and Stay

With the New Year just around the corner, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and how my Pets fit in. New Year’s is especially important because it reminds me how quickly time passes. While I may be one year older, my Pets aged relatively much more. And while my Pets don’t understand that this is a time to celebrate, I make sure they are part of the festivities with some treats and a new toy or two.

One resolution I have this year in our household is to be more environmentally conscious, and our Pets play a major part in “going green.” We are focusing on moving away from toys made with plastic. For instance, we bought feather toys for our cats, which are both natural and allow for our cats to expel some of their hunter energy.

For all our Pets, we switched from plastic bowls to metal. Not only are metal bowls more environmentally friendly, they last longer and take better to being cleaned and sterilized in the dishwasher. We also plan to use pine or other biodegradable litter instead of clay litter, and washable Pet beds to save from dry cleaning costs and chemicals. Storing nylon harnesses where dogs can’t get them is a way to increase their product life and we’ll buy products in bulk when possible to avoid wasteful packaging.

Holiday plants are a particularly relevant part of our New Year’s resolution. We will be avoiding having too many in the house. Not only are they wasteful because of their short shelf life, but they are also poisonous to Pets. And I do have some adventurous Pets who try to eat things they shouldn’t.

Other Green New Year’s Resolution Tips

Planet Green has some great additional tips on how to include your Pets in an environmentally conscious New Year’s resolution. Two main points that I drew from are:

1. If you are looking for a new Pet, consider going to a shelter. When it comes to Pets, “recycling a Pet” in lieu of going to a breeder can be one of the most environmentally friendly things you can do. Millions of Pets enter shelters every year so chances are you will find a great match, and you would be helping to alleviate the overpopulation problem in shelters and provide a homeless Pet a good home.
2. Look for natural, organic or sustainable Pet products. Not only are these good for the environment, but these products are generally better for your Pets as well. For instance, getting toys with natural fibers will prevent your Pet from ingesting plastics or other harmful substances, and feeding natural or organic treats will keep your Pet’s diet away from reconstituted animal by-products.

Good Pet care and adopting a more environmental lifestyle can go hand in hand, and they can become cornerstones to keeping our Pets healthy for a long time. Check with your local veterinary hospital if you have healthcare, behavior, nutrition or other questions about your Pets during this winter season.