10 peculiar Earth Day things you can do with your dog
Get your dog involved in environmentalism yearlong
There are still a few hours left for Earth Day, April 22, but you and your puppy can help the environment 365 days a year. Here are 10 peculiar things you can do at home to get your dog involved in eco-friendly tasks.
1. Compost dog fur for your garden
Instead of immediately throwing away dog hair from your couches, chairs, clothes and your dog’s body on aSweeper Sunday (or other cleaning days), compost it. Dog hair is rich in nitrogen and breaks down well in compost if your dog isn’t treated with harsh chemicals (ex. fipronil from topical flea ointment). You can also use it as a natural garden mulch to retain moisture.
Or, mix brushed fur with clay powder, compost and native wildflower seeds. Roll these into small balls and dry them. Then toss them into empty garden patches or neglected green spaces as “dog garden seed combs.”
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2. Donate dog fur for oil spills and sandbags
Whether you’re a pet groomer, a beautician or the owner of a hairy dog, Matter of Trust is interested in receiving hair. In their Hair Matters program, which is a large-scale waste fiber recycling, they produce felted recycled fiber mats sent to public works departments for use in storm drains. Matter of Trust also supplies stuffed sausage-shaped booms that are equivalent to sandbags to protect coves and beaches. How do you start? Join their mailing list, and follow the instructions to mail collected fur instead of trashing it.
3. Make DIY dog toys from items you can’t recycle
Skip the new dog toys. Repurpose items like old socks, worn-out T-shirts, plastic bottles, blankets and towels. This reduces waste and cuts down on microplastic-heavy pet toys. And for a dog like Junee, she finds special joy in having permission to chew on clothes. When I can no longer wear something, I toss it onto the dog bed in her crate and she either naps on it or chews on it — sometimes both at the same time.
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4. Have a dog towel station instead of using dog wipes
Keep reusable towels or microfiber cloths by the door to wipe your dog’s paws after walks, especially if you allow your pup to climb onto furniture. By not constantly using and discarding wipes or shampooing your dog after each walk — excluding the mudroom days when dogs absolutely need to be washed — a clean cloth hanging on the footrest of a bar stool reduces water use and limits the need for shampoos that can wash down drains.