Published November 01, 2007
Maybe it’s time for Fido and Felix to go green, too
Gina KimSACRAMENTO, Calif. — You reduce. You recycle. You reuse. Why shouldn’t Fido and Felix do the same? With a burgeoning pet product industry, here are some ways your pets can go green, too.POOP BAGSWhy you should sit up: It seems like a good idea to reuse those grocery-store bags to pick up Fido’s feces. But you’re also preserving poop for generations to come.Why you should roll over: These dog poop bags and cat pan liners, by BioBag, are 100 percent compostable and biodegradable, made from cornstarch and renewable resources.Why you should play dead: Although it’s better for the environment, you’re paying to package poop.Where to fetch it: www.poopbags.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $18.45 for 100 dog waste bags; $18.40 for 10 cat pan liners. ———WILD BIRD FEEDERWhy you should sit up: Plastic soda bottles take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills, so why not find another use for them and feed birds in the process?Why you should roll over: Watch the birds come when you hang the TerraCycle Wild Bird Feeder, made from a used soda bottle and a recycled plastic feeding pan. The feeder comes with birdseed and can be refilled.Why you should play dead: Even though green is the new black, you’ll still have a two-liter plastic bottle hanging in your yard.Where to fetch it: Select Wal-Mart stores or www.terracycle.netHow much you’ll have to beg: $4.88———DOG BALL AND BONEWhy you should sit up: Fido always needs a new toy. The preservation of your shoes and couch depend on it.Why you should roll over: The Orbee-Tuff RecycleBALL and RecycleBONE are made from leftover material that would otherwise be thrown away. And if your dog chews through one of the non-toxic and minty toys, you can send the bits back to the company and they can recycle it into future toys.Why you should play dead: Your arm is so tired, you couldn’t possibly throw another ball.Where to fetch it: www.planetdog.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $9.95 per toy———CATNIP MOUSEWhy you should sit up: Felix likes his toys so much, he’s practically eating the plastic cheese and cotton fishie. That means he’s ingesting toxic plasticizers and cotton treated with pesticides, defoliants and dye chemicals.Why you should roll over: Purrfectplay sells a line of dog and pet toys created from organic dye-free cotton. The catnip is organic too.Why you should play dead: You don’t even own organic cotton clothes, why should Felix be any different?Where to fetch it: www.purrfectplay.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $7.50———DOG LEASHWhy you should sit up: In an era when danger lurks with every car, Fido no longer has free paw throughout the neighborhood and should be leashed during walks.Why you should roll over: These leashes by Krebs Recycle are made from old climbing rope. Climbing gyms retire rope after three months and climbing guide services retire it after a season for safety reasons. These high-quality ropes are hand-sewn into long-lasting leashes.Why you should play dead: The company doesn’t guarantee specific rope patterns because of constantly changing stock of recycled rope, so it could clash with Fido the fashionista’s style.Where to fetch it: www.krebsrecycle.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $15 for a six-foot leash; $13 for a two-foot heeler leash.———CAT LITTERWhy you should sit up: Most of the cat litter on the market is made from strip-mined clay. In addition, there are some who believe that clay dust can be harmful to Felix’s respiratory system.Why you should roll over: There are a number of eco-friendly cat litters on the market made from newspaper or plant bases such as corncob, wheat grass or oat hulls. Next Gen Pet Products manufactures a litter made from industrial construction scrap wood and green tea leaves, which are naturally deodorizing.Why you should play dead: Felix does most of his doo-doo outside, so why bring it indoors?Where to fetch it: www.nextgenpet.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $14.99 a bag———DOG BEDWhy you should sit up: Fido and Felix need a place to rest their furry heads and tired paws.Why you should roll over: Worldwise makes beds filled with fiber created from recycled plastic bottles. The plastic is cut into small pieces and then heated and formed into pea-sized pellets.Why you should play dead: Fido’s no bouquet of roses and at some point, the bed will need to be thrown away.Where to fetch it: Raley’s and TargetHow much you’ll have to beg: $24.99 for the 29x36 PoochPlanet bed; or $19.99 for the SmartyKat LoveBucket cat bed.———DOG TOWELWhy you should sit up: Fido loves rivers. He loves lakes. He even likes the kiddie pool at the dog park. But your car already smells like dog, does it need to smell like wet dog?Why you should roll over: This chamois towel by Planet Dog is made from viscose containing recycled wood chips and absorbs 10 times its weight.Why you should play dead: This isn’t your Goodwill towel.Where to fetch it: www.planetdog.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $19.95———SMALL ANIMAL BEDDINGWhy you should sit up: Hoppy the rabbit and Gerry the gerbil want to be environmentally conscious, too. And these small pets, along with hamsters, rats, guinea pigs and birds want healthy homes.Why you should roll over: This bedding, by FiberCore, is made from 100 percent post-consumer waste — recycled paper that is then shredded and crinkled.Why you should play dead: You can make your own from all that printer paper you toss into the recycling. Send it through the shredder and get crinkling.Where to fetch it: www.fibercorellc.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $5.99-6.99 for 1.5 lb.———DOG HARNESSWhy you should sit up: You don’t walk Fido; Fido walks you. Take back your alpha status with a harness, which takes the pressure off Fido’s throat (those choking sounds when he’s trying to chase a cat mean he’s really choking).Why you should roll over: Planet Dog makes a 100 percent hemp fleece-lined adjustable harness. Hemp is durable and eco-friendly. Plus, the harness doubles as a doggie seatbelt.Why you should play dead: Fido already has a collection of very fashionable collars. When do you say when?Where to fetch it: www.planetdog.comHow much you’ll have to beg: $26.95