Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living is a new book by Robert Vale and Brenda Vale, authors of several other books about leading an environmentally conscious life. You can't buy it (yet) in the US, but you can look at it at the UK arm of Amazon, where it's described as "one subversive read," or read about it in The Guardian.
I'm not going to pay for international shipping, so I won't be reading the book until it's published in the US. And I'm not about to eat our pet, who has been a beloved member of the household since he adopted us almost two years ago. But here are some of my own ways of trying to reduce his environmental impact.
He eats vegetarian kibble. I researched dog nutrition when we got him and found out that dogs need taurine, an amino acid found only in meat. But the vegetarian dog foods contain synthetic taurine, so we're okay there. I also buy him a vitamin compound to mix with his food, just to be sure.
His dog beds consist of old blankets and towels. Easier to wash than one of those nice thick beds, and already around the house. Toys, leashes, sweaters, carriers .... you can go crazy buying all kinds of new stuff like that, or you can buy one or two items and stick with them until they've fallen apart.
No, I don't want you to eat your dog. And I have no intention of eating ours. But I am asking you to take the pet into consideration when you make decisions about consumption.
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Now see, this is the thing about having a cat. You can BUY all the expensive cat beds in the world, but that cat is going to decide exactly where he wants to sleep, and it's going to be on your favorite sweater, on your blanket, or on your head. Very economical! As for toys, while yes, I do get them toy mice (they like to eat the tails), for the most part they are content with yarn, bottle caps, and wadded up bits of paper. There are lots of litter options too. Cat food is our biggest expense, but that is because one of our cats is on a special diet. Still, dry kibble is a better deal than wet, and our cats eat dry.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're not planning on eating your dog. Our cats aren't on the menu either.
Justine.