The great poet Langston Hughes wrote in a Montage of a Dream Deferred: “Curb your doggie Like you ought to do, But don’t let that dog curb you!”

Curbing your dog should be considered an archaic term long ago used to mean canine waste disposal in such a way people don’t step on it. Sadly that really meant let it go in the gutter so it could be swept down the sewer. A curbed dog is one who’s been taught to poop in the street, right by the curb, so that the next rainstorm can sweep his deposits into the nearest gutter. Once in a city’s sewer system it will eventually make its way into nearby waters. Scientists have been able to fingerprint DNA to match bacteria found in water to specific animals, revealing that dogs are a significant contributer of bacteria. Dog waste ranks third or fourth in waterway pollution.

Dog poop contamination on the ground isn’t just gross it’s also a way to pass intestinal parasites and infections to both people and other dogs. US dogs leave millions of tons of uncollected poop a year, shame on all those inconsiderate dogs! In Mexico City, according to Grist.org “More than 2 million dogs live in Mexico City’s inner Federal District and deposit at least 353 tons of waste a day, the vast majority of which is not scooped up by pet owners.” The dog poop dries and eventually contributes to significant air borne particles and bacterial pollution.

The problem of irresponsible and ignorant dog owners not picking up dog poop turns people against dogs and more anti-dog rules pass legislation. That means more “no dogs allowed” signs, fewer dog parks, leash-free areas, etc. Which can result in many dogs getting less exercise, become more neurotic and less social with other dogs – which may further aggravate anti-dog sentiment when the resulting bad behaviors show up.

We wrote an extensive article here on Great Green Pet on this issue a few months ago with many eco-friendly solutions to this issue, including the advantages of compositing dog poop.

Another solution that you will want to consider is offered at PoopBags.com who make a biodegradable dog poop bag, made from corn, they claim meets the highest standards for biodegradability, ASTM D6400. They also state it biodegrades at the same rate as an apple would. A one month supply of these bags (50) are $12.45 and 3 month (200) is $26.95 For a couple of bucks you can order a sampler of 5.

Hemp Rope Toy $12.00 from 3r Living.com

Share some green fun with your pooch with this 12″ rope tug toy made from eco-friendly hemp.

RobbieDawg Organic Dog Biscuits from purrfectplay.com see pricing on their website

RobbieDawg are from New York bakers of handcrafted organic dog biscuits. They apparently use human grade ingredients — grass fed beef, antibiotic free poultry and even organic cheese. They look worth checking out and the tin is nicely designed to invite future reuse for whatever you might feel inspired to store in it.

Cat Upon Pet Mats from Aster & Sage – unclear pricing, need to email company

The strong design and color harmony in this comfy looking cat mat compliments its eco-friendly aspects of it’s 78% recycled polyester and other materials. No info about if they’ll refund you if your cat isn’t interested. It would seem helpful if they included a price, don’t want to get into a situation that rhymes with the product!

Soda pop-top dog leash, ‘Red, White and Blue’ $34.95 from Novica

Neide Ambrosio, a Brazilian artisan, make artfully designed dog leashs apparently made from recycled Soda pop-top. When I first saw this leash online I worried these might not be as eco-friendly is one might hope, that maybe the tops were bought in bulk rather than found/post-consumer soda tops, the reason I wonder is that it looks so perfect and the sheer volume of so many different and equally wonderful items that she makes and with such a professional marketing that it gives the appearance of a much larger operation than one expects from a single local artisan. But as this article from Inside Bay Area about the increasingly popular Brazilian soda pop top crafts points out there are many co-ops which buy soda pop tops from local street people who scavenge for these tops. Hopefully this artist is getting a fair trade for her marvelous work. Neide Ambrosio provides a background story on the Novica site.

She also offers at Novica a “Shiny Pink” Soda pop-top collar for $28.95

Natural Grooming Wipes at Uptown Critters.com $12.95

My dog loves organic grooming solutions – problem is her idea of what constitutes good grooming is radically different from mine. She thinks rolling in natural mud, dips in scummy ponds, and digging up some fresh earth is one true organic path. I have other ideas.

These grooming wipes might be just the thing to have handy in the car to clean up after her “spa treatments”. However, your car is more likely to be a new Lexis or Volvo than a vintage Camry. Tell you the truth, I probably will continue to use my beat up towel I keep handy for such a purpose – reusable and saves putting more paper products in the landfills. My dog and I tend to be more skeptical types.

Still, some people may marvel over the Green Tea Leaf Fragrance, the Aloe Vera moisturizer and the “exotic Hawaiian Awapuhi extract” to enhance your dog’s coat shine in the wipes. They also offer a Hypo-Allergenic and Fragrance free version.

Grow your own organic wheatgrass

My dog loves grass, she can’t seem to munch enough of it whenever we go to our nearby Boston park which doesn’t seem to use pesticides or herbicides. However, in a few weeks we are moving to San Diego and I suspect the little precious grass they have in this desert climate there will be much more likely to be treated with chemicals. So I have been looking into some healthy alternatives that won’t cost me a fortune and wanted to share my initial findings.

Cats, dogs and many other pets seem to instinctively want to eat grass. By eating grasses they obtain important vitamins and minerals as well as adding more fiber to their diet. So many pet stores are selling little trays of pet grass – but I suspect the tiny but expensive amount they offer are just for pampered gerbils, my dog would be asking for more in about 30 seconds. So, if I am going to start growing my own I am going to need a cheaper solution. Smaller dogs and cats probably won’t need as much but you might want to save money anyway as well as have greater control over the quality of the grass.

If you want to get a kit that includes all you need to grow your own then check out wheatgrasskits.com who offers a kit with 5lbs of certified organic wheatgrass seed, 5 trays for growing, 1 bag of soil, and instructions – all for 15.95

If you have a green thumb and are willing to get your instructions, soil and potting trays on your own then can save money by going to wheatgrassman.com and buying a bag of certified wheatgrass seed – you can get 4lbs for just $6.95 or if you know your pet is going to love this stuff then spring for the 25 or 50lb bag and save even more money at $20.95 and $37.95 respectively.

Catnip Tins $5.99 from Bubba’s Love.com
Your aristoCats will want to use these tins like the snuff tins of old, and for you to have some quality herb time with your favorite Kitty.

Gallon Plastic bags of Bulk Organic Catnip from BUBBA’s LOVE World Famous Organic Catnip $26.99 /pound

If fancy tins are too bourgeois for your simple tastes, this bare basic plastic bag should work, and you get a better deal for your hard earned money!

The Alfresco Dog Bed from BellaDogga.com starting from $160.00

Groovy organic dog beds, stylishly designed and hand crafted. Made with all organic cotton denim. If you like happy new age designer words and phrases like dignity, joy and huckleberry Love then this is the bed for you.
However, if this happy people talk turns you off like it does me then a more traditional 60′s abstract flower type design seen in the Pad Dog Bed may be more to your taste.

The Pad Dog Bed

Scooperbox $11.99 for a package of 30 from Scooperbox.com

If the idea that your dog’s poop will be immortalized for the next thousand years or so in a landfill somewhere – where future archaeologists might determine what goodies your dog scarfed up yesterday makes you a little queasy, then perhaps here is one solution.

The Scooperbox is made of 100% recycled material and is completely biodegradable. If the approx. 40 cents a poop doesn’t scare you off – you are getting a primo solution to an important eco-pet issue. Another area the scooperbox claims to excel over the plastic bag is by scooping it with the cardboard you can get better leverage over a variety of surfaces, and eliminates the gross, squishy touch of the messier ones.

Their website is currently offering the leash clip for the box for free if you buy the scooperbox package now– worth $5. Great Green Pets has previous dogpoop article,what’s the green solution for getting rid of dog poop that discusses a variety of approaches and solutions.

found at http://greenlagirl.com/