Your pup explores the world with their mouths. So when your looking for fun toys to buy your furry little friend, do you think about what possible toxins and chemicals that could possibly be hidden in their toys? Take a look at what thebark.com discovered in the link below:
Beware of Lead and Toxic Dog Toys

Looking for a great alternative? Here at ChewsGreen you can find dog toys and other supplies that consist of organic materials, or chemical free products like Simply Fido & Planet Dog! Shop Chews Green to explore the rest of our selection of Eco Friendly dog supplies.

Lost and stray animals in wake of Hurricane Sandy need New Yorkers’ help 
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/sandy-displaced-animals-article-1.1199764#ixzz2BnDHkUOk

-For those of you in NY help by fostering or volunteering:
www.doghabitat.org/volunteer/foster or email hurricane@AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

In light of the recent events of Hurricane Sandy (read the article above) I wanted to dedicate a blog post to preparing you and your furry/semi-fuzzy/hairless pets for a natural disaster.

Here are a few suggestions that could help to alleviate that stress of not finding your pet and to help increase the chances of making sure that your pets stay with you safely during a natural disaster.
1) Consider Microchipping :
MIcrochips help assign a number to your pet, in which you could register online by associating your name, contact information and even picture with that number. Any shelter or veterinary hospital has a microchip scanner and they can help to reunite you with your pet. Talk to your local SPCA or Veterinarian on how to get your pet microchipped.
2) Put together a Disaster Kit:
Depending on what your pet needs, whether its medications or special food, be sure to stock up on those things. Don't forget to check expiration dates from time to time. Try to have enough supplies for at least 5-10 days away from home. Some basic necessities for your pet's disaster kit includes:

• Non-perishable food (don't forget a can opener if you're bringing wet food) and water.
  
• Portable bowls. [Check out these great K9H2O Stainless Steel Water Bottles with water bowl lids!]
• A copy of your pet's medical records and any medication, stored in a waterproof container.
• Mini pet first aid kit: vet wrap, gauze, and antibacterial ointment.
• Sturdy Collar (with identification tag), leash, harness, and carriers. These will help you transport your pet safely to your evacuation location. [Find some great eco friendly leashes and harnesses with Planet Dog.]
• A pet bed, blanket, and a couple of toys to relieve stress or in case you have to board your pets somewhere for a few days.
• Written information about your pets' feeding schedule, medical conditions, the number to your veterinarian, and any other special needs in case you pets board or are placed in foster care for a short amount of time.
  

3) Find a safe place to stay ahead of time:
Find a friend or family member outside of the immediate area to help provide shelter if a disaster strikes. There are also many pet friendly hotels that you could look up on the following websites:
Bringfido.com
Dogfriendly.com
Doginmysuitcase.com
Pet-friendly-hotels.net
Pets-allowed-hotels.com
Petswelcome.com
Tripswithpets.com

I hope this was helpful. I'd love to hear any other suggestions on what to add onto your pets natural disaster safety plan!

Here are some great ways to green up your pet's lifestyle:
Do your research: There are many companies that are willing to donate to the less fortunate animals, like Planet Dog. Investing in your pup will help other animals in need. DOUBLY WAMMY! There are also many different companies that use recyclable packaging or recyclable materials to create their products like Doggles!
Buy biodegradable poop bags: They may cost a little extra but it goes a long way in decreasing the waste in our landfills. Check out these great Flush Puppies!
Repurpose old things: Take out that dusty sewing machine and sew a simple carrot/fish/ghost toy with your left over fabrics. Go onto Amazon.com an simply purchase a bag of squeakers and stuff those into your homemade toy for your pup. You can also reuse your old laundry, towels, and sheets by getting an adorable Molly Mutt Duvet cover. Just put all your unwanted fluffy things into the duvet cover and create your own durable and cute bed for your four legged friend. Friends at my local doggy park have also used old water bottles and paper towel rolls to keep their pup entertained. Just don't forget to monitor your pup when something like that can easily be torn apart and ingested. You don't want to have to rush your pup over to the animal ER.
Donate unwanted items to local animal rescue and shelter: Many of these organizations are always in need of towels, blankets, old litter pans, treats and toys to keep their four legged cuties comfy until they go to their new home. Look up your local animal rescue and/or shelter to see if they have a wish list.

Feel free to leave comments and share more on other eco friendly ideas!

As a disclaimer, this is solely my opinion, based on my experiences and research throughout the years.

Dog training has evolved through the years and many people are either on the punishment and negative reinforcement side, while others are on the reward based and positive reinforcement side. I have been in many never ending debates. It's almost like debating over religion.

The inspiration for this blog post came from an anonymous lady that was walking across the street from me with her dog one day. I was on the the other side of the street with my dog as well. The dog across the street obviously wanted to run over to my dog, Maggie, to say hello. The lady decided her method of training the dog was to tug on the leash and say NO without giving her poor dog a chance to make the right decision. Maggie on the other hand noticed this other dog and want to say hi as well, but I told her to keep her eyes on me and gave her treats as she followed me down the sidewalk attentively. Guess who's method worked out better.

Another incident happened during vaccine clinic at the veterinary hospital that I work at. This beautiful chocolate lab was strapped with a shock collar and prong collar. Poor lab was just so happy to be a lab and to see and greet people. Unfortunately, this lab's training fault was that he obviously did not accomplish learning how to stand still while getting his vaccine. So I took him to the back of hospital, away from the owner where it was more quiet to try again. The owner handed me a remote and showed me which button to push for the shock collar. I plainly gave the remote back and said that I didn't need it and walked away. The other veterinary technicians and I were surprisingly successful at taming this bucking bronco. We found that the poor lab would flinch at any type of restraint. He was just waiting for his shock collar to pinch him or his prong collar to be yanked back. Our secret was whispering sweet nothings to him, telling him that he's beautiful, and tons of treats!

Moral of this story, I've chosen the positive reinforcement route for my pup and I've seen such great results. Just imagine giving a person directions to your house by telling them, "Don't turn right on eleventh, don't go straight on thirteenth, don't pass the stop light, don't take this highway..." Wouldn't that be the most confusing set of directions? That's how it's like when you tell your dog no, either by force or even just yelling at your dog. (I once saw a guy at the dog park yell at his dog to not herd because his trainer told him to do that...wtf mate, what's a herding dog going to do about that?) Instead, reward your dog for doing the correct thing. You can use a clicker or your voice by saying YES (use the same tone every time, preferably happy and high pitched). Timing is super essential, as you want to capture the correct behavior and shove that treat in your pup's face (ok not shove, but give the treat enthusiastically in a timely manner). This indicates the correct behavior and it tells them, "OK, if I keep doing this behavior I get treats!" You're the dog's owner and it's a relationship that you develop through trust with your pup that helps them become "obedient". They want to please you because it makes them happy, just like how you want the best of everything for your four legged child. If you or/and your dog are afraid of each other, the relationship is not there and either party will thrive at being disobedient with each other.