4 Fun Ways to Celebrate Earth Day With Your Dog
With Earth Day right around the corner, my dog and I have been brainstorming a few ways to celebrate the holiday. For instance, my furry friend thinks we should “sniff every tree we see on our next walk.” While I appreciate her appreciation for trees, I’m not sure if I should participate in said sniffing. My neighbors already think I’m a little odd.
Anyway, I have also pitched a few Earth Day activities that my furry friend has approved of. And here they are:
Take a Hike With Your Furry Friend
Photo by Kevin Noble on Unsplash
One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is to go out in nature. For this reason, we highly recommend taking your dog on a hike. Just be sure to keep your dog leashed during the adventure. Also, it’s very important for the environment and your fellow hikers to clean up after your dog with eco-friendly waste bags.
Try to Lessen Your Dog's Exposure to Microplastic
Photo by Stephen Goldberg on Unsplash
In July 2024, EARTHDAY.ORG released a report titled, Pets Vs. Plastics, describing the harm that exposure to microplastics and toxic plastic chemicals may be doing to our pets. The report found that the regulations put in place to keep our pets safe, when it comes to their food, toys, and clothes, need to be far stricter.
In 2024, Woof Republic spoke to Aidan Charron, the co-author of Pets Vs. Plastic and a dog owner. Aidan explained how plastics negatively impact our canine companions' health. He noted that if your furry friend is chewing on “a large plastic toy, that toy starts to break down some of the chemicals.” For this reason, he encouraged pet parents to stop purchasing plastic toys for their furry friends.
Make Your Dog an Eco-Friendly Toy
Photo by Travis Essinger on Unsplash
Okay, before you say anything, I know it’s sort of impossible to completely deny your furry friends plastic toys, as even the plush ones contain microplastics! But you can start slowly switching out said toys with homemade ones, like a fun rope out of a few old cotton t-shirts. All you’ll need to do is cut out pieces of fabric and weave the strips together. This is a great and fun way to reduce, reuse, and recycle!
(A quick disclaimer: if your dog likes to already chew on your clothes or socks, maybe skip this tip!)
Donate to an Environmental Organization
While your dog probably can’t be trusted with finances, you can make the decision on both of your behalves to donate to an environmental organization.