In today’s post, we’re examining the environmental impacts of pets. We’ve reduced our household waste quite a bit over time, but one of the big contributors to our remaining rubbish is pet poop and associated waste. This got me thinking about pets, their environmental impact, and how they influence our family’s overall footprint. In our family there are far more paws than feet, and although our pets do contribute to our household consumption and waste, they also influence our behaviour in a manner that lowers it in some ways. And we couldn’t imagine life without their love and their positive influences on our lifestyle and well-being.
Poop, Poop, and More Poop!
I might as well start at the end. Pet poop is probably one of the biggest contributors and concerns in our furfamily’s environmental pawprint. Even with good diets, pets produce a lot of poop, and it needs to be collected and be safely disposed.
Cat Litter and Waste
Tiger’s pawprint in the poo department is lower than his dog brothers. We switched to recycled paper pellet kitty litter long ago. He loves it and will actually refuse to use the other types. Yes, we learned this the hard way. And although his litter might be a little more friendly, all the waste still gets included with our household rubbish.
Whether cat poop can be scooped and flushed depends greatly on local rules where you live and how your household sewage is handled after it leaves the house. Ditto for any kerbside compostable waste collection. Cats are commonly carriers for illnesses and parasites that can adversely affect wildlife, so even treated waste can still pose issues. And don’t get me started on the waste from visiting cats pooping around the neighbourhood (unfortunately, an issue in our garden).
Dog Poo Bags
Scoop the poop, people. Leaving poop behind is bad for the environment, and its also bad for keeping our neighbourhoods dog-friendly. Poop left on curbsides, trails, parks, beaches, etc. feeds the argument for restricting or prohibiting dog access.
We currently use biodegradable poo bags. Compostable bags are currently really expensive here and, critically, haven’t been up to the task when I’ve tried them in the past. Catastrophic poo bag failure (poopocalypse) during a walk or run is not a pleasant experience! Perhaps I’ll try again in the future when there are new options.
Alternative Pet Poo Disposal
Special composting or septic treatment could be alternatives for some pet owners, but they’re a no-go for us right now. Unfortunately, our boys generate a lot of poop and we have an urban yard. Space is limited, rules are many, and we wouldn’t want to create unpleasant issues with our neighbours.
So-called flushable dog poo bags aren’t viable either, and not just because of incompatibility with our local sewage treatment plant and council rules. With the size of our boys and their poo, it would likely cause serious issues with our home plumbing before ever making it into the system.
If you’re allowed to flush, make sure your system is up to the task before giving a bagged poop the royal flush. Not sure? It might be safer to consider dumping the contents and otherwise disposing of the bags.
Pet Poo Environmental Impacts and Disposal Information
Get the scoop on poop! Depending on you pet and location, there may be a variety of disposal options. For interest and ideas, check out these articles:
- Greenest Way to Dispose of Dog Poop (Grist)
- Eliminating Pet Poop Pollution (Live Science)
- Disposing of Dog Poop (David Suzuki)
- How to Dispose of Dog Poop (The Zero Waste Pet)
- How to Compost Dog Poop (Beco Pets at Dalmatian DIY)
Considering Your Own Furfamily Potty Pawprints
- Do you know where your pet is pooping and peeing?
- Do you always scoop when your pet is out in public?
- What method(s) are you currently using for collecting poop?
- Is the method that you’re using for disposing of poop (and any associated waste like litter, bags, etc.) appropriate for your local rules and regulations?
- Are there any changes that you could reasonably make to reduce the impact of your pet’s waste, waste-related products, and they’re disposal?
Pet Food, Treats, and Packaging
Pet Foods and the Environmental
I’ll be honest. I give little thought to the pawprint of our pets’ diet, focusing instead on the quality, content, and health implications of their food. But it’s still worth being aware that food can be one of the most significant factors in the environmental impact of pets, especially pets with high meat diets, like cats and dogs.
Overfeeding
Overfeeding and pet obesity is a major veterinary health concern. The environmental impacts of pets are also amplified when pets are being feed more than they need. More food, more rubbish, more poop, higher health risks, more medical issues, lower life expectancy. Overfeeding is bad for your pet, your bank balance, and the environment. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight is a win win all around.
Food Sources, Content, and Quality
There are arguments for all sorts of different pet diets, including proponents for using non-human grade proteins and organ meats that would otherwise be waste. At the other extreme are novel proteins, vegetarian, and even vegan foods. Be very careful about who and what you trust. Food is the foundation of body and health.
Personally, we prioritise our pet’s healthy eating over other factors, including any environmental aspects. We love our pets, and a healthy diet builds the foundation for giving them the best chance for a healthy and (hopefully) long happy life.
Our pets are fed a fairly traditional diet, primarily commercial foods and treats, based upon their age and needs. Tiger is almost completely storebought, but the dogs get a few extras, always in moderation. Supplemental foods include meats, fish, fruits, veggies, etc. The dogs are always happy to help with quality control in the garden, too. Nibbling fresh carrots and strawberries are some of their favourites.
Pet Food and Treat Packaging
Packaging is a consideration for most foods and treats. Some areas offer recycling programs, but there are none where we live at present. And although I make some of our own dog treats, ingredient packaging and treats storage are still factors.
One of our pet product suppliers recently changed their shipping packaging to cardboard, and I made sure to give them great feedback. It’s becoming more common, and I think it’s important to let businesses know that you value their efforts. Humphrey appreciated the boxes, too. He loves helping with our household recycling. Their boxes have since gotten even better, with plain brown cardboard and more consolidated packing. Yay! I look forward to more companies going greener.
Considering Your Own Furfamily Feeding Pawprints
- Are you comfortable your pet’s diet, the sources, and the content? It’s a balance between many factors, and the pawprint is just one. Health is the most important, so make changes with care and in consultation with your vet.
- Is your pet at a healthy weight for their body type and age? If not, you might want to talk with your vet about possible changes to their diet and/or other factors to help your pet reach and maintain a health weight.
- Does your pet have consistenty good poops? If not, you might need to consider changes to their feeding plan or have a chat with your vet to make sure that they’re getting full nutritional value out of their food(s) and/or make changes to their foods or feeding plan.
- Does your pet have special health factors that need to be considered?
- How do you store pet food and treats? Are they maintaining nutritional quality after opening? Being used within their shelf life? Would any changes help?
- Where do you source your pet’s foods and treats? Are you comfortable with their business practices? The packaging used for the products or shipping?
- What do you do with empty packaging? Are there any available alternatives in your area for lower impact disposal that you could consider trying?
Grooming and Care
Grooming
Washing and grooming isn’t a significant factor in our household. The cat enjoys being brushed, although only briefly and on his own terms… He’s otherwise pretty low maintenance. Our dogs are short-haired and generally don’t need more than a light brushing (more for enjoyment and general care than shed factor) and occasional nail clipping for Humphrey, the younger of the boys. When they do get into something smelly/messy or need a scrub, we use carefully selected products due to their skin sensitivities and usually just take them into our walk-in shower.
Clothing and Accessories
Little accessories like bandanas (I do love cute bandanas) and speciality items like winter warmers or raingear, we don’t usually dress our pets. The items we use tend to last a fairly long time, and I make a lot of our own, which let’s me have some creative fun with a useful purpose. Or somewhat useful. Haha! And small crafts are also great for upcycling or using fabric offcuts.
We try to buy long-lasting quality products for essentials, like their collars and leads. They might cost a little more up front, but their durability and strength will usually last longer and, importantly, help our pets stay safer on adventures. Gear like this gets very well-used in our active furfamily. Sometimes we wear things out, but many we’ve had for years and they’re still going strong. Anything outgrown or unsuited to our types of use or preferences is given away to friends or donated to charity.
Bedding and Blankets
Bedding is something I’m actually really indulgent about. Comfort is key to happy healthy life. We have lots of bedding and blankets for our boys to nest and rest. Durable materials that wash and wear well, removeable outers, protectors for inner cushions and stuffing, and repurposed or recycled materials do help somewhat to amke sure things last longer and that helps somewhat to reduce the overall impact.
I’ve started making some of our own dog care supplies, including bed covers and blankets. Again, this lets me have creative fun, but it also lets me customise the materials, sizes, styles, and durability. And upcycle/recycle materials, too.
Washable blankets of all sorts are also great for easy cleaning and can help protect furniture, floors, vehicles, etc. from mess or damage.
Considering Your Own Furfamily Care Pawprints
- What do you and your pet need to balance safety, care, comfort, cleanliness, and other considerations?
- Where do you buy your pet products? Are you comfortable with their business practices and the packaging used for the products or shipping? Are there any swaps you might consider or suggestions to submit as customer feedback?
- Are you taking the time to clean pet products like collars, leads, bedding, etc. to help keep your pet healthy and give your products a longer useful life? Are there changes in your household routine or product choices that might help?
- What cleaning products are you using on your pet, their stuff, and around your home in general? Are they safe for the people and pets in your household? Are they compatible with your home’s wastewater systems and treatments?
- Do you have pet products sitting around that you don’t use/need that might be greatly appreciated by someone else if gifted or donated?
Toys
We also love having fun, and toys are no exception – even if they don’t always last as long as we might like. It’s a compromise for anyone who is waste-conscious, but fun is important. When it comes to toys, joy is high on my personal list of priorities. :)
I have a dog toy hospital basket where damaged items await re-stitching or recycling, but many pet toys tend to be pretty disposable. Even some supposedly robust toys don’t survive very long with two big dogs, one of whom is still a boisterous puppy. There are a few VERY well-loved hard-wearing chew/squeeze toys, but nothing soft survives for long. I plan on making (and repairing) more toys, and using more scrap, leftover, or recycled materials where feasible.
Simple enrichment activities like sniffing out treats or ripping up recyclables like cardboard boxes or egg cartons are also high on our dogs list. Free and fun!
Considering Your Own Furfamily Play Pawprints
- Are the toys you’re choosing suitable for your pet and their style of play? What are they made of? How long do they last? Do they make your pet happy? Are there potentially better options that you might try? Or have you found some fun and durable favourites that you’d like to buy (or make) again?
- Where do you buy your toys? Are you comfortable with their business practices and the packaging used for the products or shipping? Are there any swaps you might consider or suggestions to submit as customer feedback?
- Are you taking the time to clean toys?
- Do you have the skills to make small repairs?
- Are there other changes that might help balance the fun factor with the impacts?
Hazards to Wildlife
Pets and wildlife rarely mix well. Pets can harm or kill wildlife, wildlife can harm or kill pets, and diseases and parasites may transfer between them. Where we live in New Zealand, there are few wild animals that would pose a threat to a large pet; however, there are vulnerable small native creatures. Long term lost pets naturalising in the wild is also a risk to the local ecosystem.
Our pet-friendly home garden is fully fenced to help keep our dogs safe and secure. But even with the fencing, our cat isn’t allowed to wander freely outside. Yes, a cat on a harness. Tiger’s had one since he was a wee little rescue kitten, and he gets to zipline in our yard. The areas where we walk our dogs are pretty quiet, other than birds and occasional (much quicker) bunnies. We respect leash-only and prohibited areas – it’s important for nature, but also important for protecting and safeguarding our boys.
Considering Your Own Furfamily Wildlife Pawprints
- Are your pets safe and secure when on your property?
- Are you pets safe and secure when out in public? This includes respecting rules and having control (recall/obedience) even when off-leash.
- Are there any local risks to your pets that need extra consideration?
- Are there locally sensitive areas or wildlife that need special consideration?
End of Life Care
Unwanted Pets and Animal Shelters
In addition to being kept securely at home and under control when out and about, our pets are all desexed, registered, and micro-chipped. How absolutely heartbreaking is it that shelter euthanasia is one of the pet-related environmental impact issues?
The Rainbow Bridge
Unfortunately, no matter how much we love our pets, they can’t live forever. Even death, including human death, has it’s own footprint considerations. One of the biggest decisions is burial vs. cremation, both of which have their environmental considerations. But, when the time comes for our pets, it will be my heavy heart and not the footprint that guides our decisions. For families like ours who move homes often, cremation is often the more suitable personal choice.
Considering Your Own Furfamily Life and Afterlife Pawprints
- Is your property safe and secure?
- Is your pet desexed?
- Is your pet registered and microchipped, if applicable? Are those details and contacts up to date? When was the chip last checked to ensure function?
- Do you have a plan for what happens to your pet if a situation requires an alternative carer, or if you needed to rehome them up for an extended period?
- Does your will account for care and responsibility for your pet if you pass?
Positive Environmental Influences of Life with Pets
Mental and Physical Health
Not having pets simply isn’t a consideration for our family, irrespective of their impact. It is said that “the best therapists have four paws” and I have no doubt that this is true. They help us feel happier, live healthier, socially connect, and other health benefits.
Environmental Benefits of Life with Pets
On the environmental front, personally, we find that their influence on our family footprint probably outweighs their individual environmental pawprints.
We tend to travel less (especially long haul travel) as dog owners. When Tiger and I were on our own, I still travelled extensively for work and personal matters. House-sitting a cat was a fairly easy favour for friends. Dogs require a significantly higher degree of commitment. We tend to stay fairly local and often just hang out at home, including eating at home. There’s also less food waste. Tidbits are occasionally shared, surpluses made into treats, bones into broth, etc.
We walk and explore outdoor areas (pet-friendly) significantly more than we would without the dogs. Trips to the beach are a fur family favourite, and we often pick up litter as we go. Walkies are a daily must do – no matter what the weather. And on the subject of weather, pets make excellent hot-water bottles on chilly nights. Very energy efficient. Haha!
Dogs (and Dog Owners) Doing Good
We’re currently lucky enough to currently live within walking distance of the ocean. Better still, it’s a beautiful stretch of dog-friendly beach. They love it, and so do I. Unfortunately, our dogs also love beachcombing along the high tide line for yucky things to roll in or nibble. I often spend time with them for safety, walking through and surveying everything that has washed up instead of strolling along the waters edge. Silver lining? If I’m going to stare at the tide line, I might as well bring along an extra bag or two and collect trash.
I’m not the only local dog-owner who does a little good on walks, and often cross paths with others doing the same. Perhaps because of this, perhaps just by chance, but our stretch is relatively clean compared to many. Even so, there’s usually some rubbish washed up along the high tide line.
I’ve found some really strange things on our walks, but mostly just random debris washed ashore or left by inconsiderate visitors. There are a lot of repeat offenders, too. Beverage rubbish in particular: juice-box straws, big straws, bottle caps, coffee cup lids, and fragments of plastic drink cups, etc.
It’s a very feel good feeling to leave the beach a little cleaner than we found it. Picking up trash when walking the dogs also helps us pay it forward and offset our environmental pawprints. Truly, it’s such as small effort to make, and every little bit helps!
Considering Your Own Furfamily Pawprints Offsets
- What do you do differently as a pet owner that changes your family or household impact? Are there more changes you’d like to make?
- Are there ways you can “pay it forward” with little bits of good to help offset the potential extra impacts that your pet or pets might have?
Additional Ideas and Inspiration
Check out our other pet-friendly living articles on greener living with pets. We also have a growing collection of greener living pet pins on Pinterest with pet ideas and inspiration from all over. Let us know if you have suggestions for us to explore.
