Food

Food is probably the biggest offender to the environment. From packaging to the production of food itself, there’s a similar problem here as with human food supply chain. 

Buying food and other supplies in bulk reduces trips to the store (gas emissions) and the amount of packaging you contribute to the landfill. Pay attention to packaging materials and try to buy products packaged in recycled or recyclable materials. Store food and treats in reusable storage containers instead of plastic bags.

Same goes for treats. Rather than buying treats in plastic packaging, you can bake your own! Think of all the packaging waste you’ll avoid! There’s many websites that have doggy treat recipes available for even the fussiest of dogs. 

Waste

My biggest pet peeve in the park are people not picking up after their dog! Pick up your dog's poop! It’s against the law but as it’s not being enforced people keep leaving it behind. Not picking up and properly disposing of waste is a health issue for everyone. Bag it and carry it until you find a trash can. And make sure you purchase biodegradable bags as they’re not only environment friendly but dog excrement could rot for quite a while inside a non-biodegradable plastic bag.

Grooming

I have to say a lot more could be done in the grooming industry as far as shampoo and other product bottles go. I buy in bulk so the shampoo gets delivered in 5 or 10 litre bottles but sadly it’s all still plastic. The content is environmentally friendly so it's a step in the right direction.

For home use, there’s environmentally friendly shampoo and grooming products out there. EcoMutt is an Irish small business that does lovely natural soaps for dogs in environment friendly packaging and other gifts so check them out. 

Toys

I’ve written a post about enrichment ideas to make yourself at home which you can find here but if your dog simply wants his ball then there are options out there.  BeCo is one of the brands which I love. They do a range of toys from rope and soft toys to harder chew toys and it's all helping minimize your pets carbon footprint. You can find them in Petstop here in Ireland or order directly from their website.