It goes without saying that we all love our dogs and many of our customers have already made a difference by adopting a rescue dog. Those rescue centres can also benefit when their supporters buy our food as our profits are donated to them, but we may also be helping in other ways. This Earth day we look at the R’s – Rot, Recycle, Repurpose, Replace and Refuse of having a dog in your home.
Rot
The job that every dog owner should be doing is picking up the poo! Dog poo that hasn’t been picked up means our dogs are leaving germs on the pavement for someone else to walk in or clear up. Dog poo contains up to 23 million bacteria!
Nothing is worse than going for a walk with your dog to find poo bags hanging off bushes and trees. What is even worse is other animals then are curious about the contents and can become seriously ill.
Buying compostable bags (made from vegetable starch) is great if you have access to composting facilities (but make sure the compost is not used for food growth). Biodegradable poo bag break down in landfill waste after about a year – not great but lots better than the traditional poo bags that can take around 500 years to decompose!
Recycle
If you can’t reuse any of your dog’s old toys when they no longer play with them (and if you don’t have a destroyer like mine) you may be able to recycle or donate. Likewise with leads and collars that are no longer needed, if they are in a wearable state check with your local rescue centre to see if they could use them.
Repurpose
Old bedding (duvets, pillows, dog blankets) can sometimes be of use to rescue centres but check first to see what they can accept (and please only send freshly washed items).
If you are crafty, try making a snuffle mat as a fun and entertaining way to treat your dog. Kibble and other dry treats can be scattered in a snuffle mat to keep your dog entertained (or to slow down a fast eater!)
Unopened food? Why not see if a rescue centre can accept it. Food banks often ask for dog/cat food also.
Replace
Easy swaps to make a small difference include cleaning wipes for old towels or buying biodegradable / compostable poo bags. If your dog is a squeaky toy killer maybe change for tougher toys to avoid sending rubber toys to landfill.
Refuse
We know that prices are rapidly increasing for all of us but where possible try to buy items made in the UK to save on the air miles. Use the voucher code earthday when buying more than one bag of food from us to reduce your bill whilst reducing your air miles – plus all of our food is made in the UK.