Many people think of the carbon footprint as being owned by the human alone, but pets also contribute a carbon footprint, or pawprint, on the Earth. Pet owners can reduce that pawprint with some careful pet choices.
Our pet's are often referred to as our children, so why would we not take their carbon output into consideration when making eco-friendly choices? The pet contribution may seem small compared to that of humans but rest assured, pets have a profound effect on the environment if pet owner's do not watch their carbon footprint carefully.
The Pet's Waste and the Environment
Pet's produce waste. Dogs often leave their waste outdoors which may not seem like a problem, except where the waterways are concerned in a given area. Dog waste can bleed into the water supplies via the storm drains leaving a huge pet pawprint on the earth. Over time, the accumulation of dog waste in the water supply can be detrimental to the environment. According to a 2001 report by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the pollution of waterways by animal waste, including pet waste, can lead to contamination of the human water supply. Pet waste needs to be cleaned from the ground as soon as possible in order to reduce youir pet's pawprint on the earth. In keeping with pet training techniques, make sure not to allow the pet, especially a puppy, to see you clean up the waste.
Cats, on the other hand, contribute a different sort of threat to the environment if they are house trained. Some cat litters are not biodegradable and end up in landfills for the duration of their lives. There are, however, biodegradable cat litters created from renewable resources that are safe for cats and kittens and friendly on the environment thus reducing your pet's pawprint on the earth.
Feeding Frenzy Hurting the Earth
No matter how eco-friendly a store bought pet food claims to be, there is little truth in the statement. In order for the pet food to reach the store, there are planes, trains, trucks and lots of gas that has tainted the environment to place that single can or bag on the shelf. Eco-friendly pet owners can reduce their pets carbon pawprint by cooking up some healthy pet food of their own.
The Internet is full of recipes that are pet friendly and healthy for a pet's digestive system. While the ingredients will be picked up in a store, some of the time, cooking pet food in bulk will reduce the number of trips to the store and thus reduce the effect of the pets pawprint on the earth.
Healthy pet food recipes should be passed by the veterinarian before changing a pet's diet. This is simply to ensure none of the ingredients used will be harmful to the pet. It is also an important point to feed pets food that is room temperature. Hot or cold food does not settle well with your pet's tummy no matter how much it reduces the pet's pawprint on the earth.