Comments on: How Pet Owners Go Green

By: Ark Lady

Ark Lady — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:54:05 +0000

Thanks for the tip about the product. That is a good replacement product–there is also a reusable sponge that is good for removing hair and sucking up accidents. I’ll be posting in the future about such items.

I hope to see your comments again!

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:19:30 +0000

I have another tip:

Don’t use a lint roller!

There is a new product called Fur-Zoff that’s made from recycled materials and it lasts nearly forever.

Happy belated Earth Day! Thanks for the advice.

By: Ark Lady

Ark Lady — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:44:23 +0000

@Amy: Glad to hear that you are providing that much needed service. Yes, we are lucky and my guy is actually the food king (he gets into the details of the ingredients and where they come from and where the food is manufactured).

I agree with you and think more and more specialty stores will be focused on ingredients…I believe that will be the new trend and is what will keep some businesses growing.

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:56:40 +0000

I am one of those kind of retailers, too. We’re web-based with delivery in Chicago.

Even though Chicago has a number of independent pet stores, there are questionable items in all of them and none of them discriminate when it comes to foods and treats made in China. They do a great job, mostly, but I have yet to see one that is uber-selective. Also, most companies are not forthright about where their ingredients come from, so I imagine they want to have a wide variety and let some things slip (or don’t contact the companies, since they don’t have to put the origin of ingredients and can still put “made in the us”).

I’m not against my neighboring independent retailers at all, I just wish they were more selective. That’s why I started LWCD. I wanted a place where people can choose anything from the catalog and know that it’s healthy and eco-friendly.

I’m glad you have an independent retailer that does this, too! I think there will be more and more, I just hope word continues to get out BEFORE there’s another large scale recall and before more of this smaller, quiet recalls continue.

By: Ark Lady

Ark Lady — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:37:19 +0000

@Amy Yes, it is difficult to identify the right products sometimes but changing habits and educating yourself about the products are well worth it. As far as the ingredients go, you have to find a savvy pet store to help…we have one that doesn’t have anything from China at all–including pet foods because they investigate all their product manufacturers and ingredients–guess we are lucky. Thanks for sharing the great info with other readers.

@ForestWander Thanks for leaving another comment. Hope to see you more.

By: ForestWander Nature Photography

ForestWander Nature Photography — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:10:48 +0000

Yes, whether we know it or not there are a lot of ways that we contirbute to polluting our earth and this is one of them.

Nothing like taking a walk in the park to realx and stepping in well you know…

Also, there is a lot of waste with toys and other things that could be avoided.

Great pointers and ideas.

Thanks for the post!

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:43:52 +0000

Nice post!

I’ll add that learning how to read labels and recognizing greenwashing with pet products can sometimes be difficult. For instance, most of the “biodegradable” bags on the market are not actually biodegradable. Make sure they meet standards for biodegradable claims (ASTM #DC6400-99 “Standard Specifications for Compostable Plastics” set forth by the U.S. Composting Council, AND new California law SB1749).

Also, pet foods are pretty unregulated, so contacting a company to see where their ingredients are coming from is sometimes the only way to know for sure. A bag of pet food may say “made in the US” but still sourcing their ingredients from China.

It’s a tough world to navigate, but well worth it!