Pooches With a Purpose

For those who ever wondered "Just where are we supposed to let those sleeping dogs lie anyhow?"

By Jon Westfall

While we are all so busy trying to be as "enviro-conscious" as possible and living green, some of us may be overlooking another, certainly no less important member of the family who can reduce their carbon paw print... That's right, your ever-faithful and beloved dog (or dogs, as the case may well be—everyone's familiar with the Osborne home by now, right?). Obviously "Spot" can't tell you that he would prefer it if you saved thousands of yards of "scrap" fabric, destined for landfills by getting him an eco-friendly dog bed. It's really up to us as responsible pet owners and planet-friendly people to make these decisions for him.

If your dog is anything like ours, he really doesn't care if the pattern on his pet bed is appealing or not. He could care less if it "goes" with the drapes or if the cloth covering on his bed is stain-resistant or not (from what I've been witness to, they actually prefer things to be stained!). No, in fact, I've seen our dog comfortably doze off on a pile of my sweat-soaked gym clothes on the bathroom floor while I shower. A pretty far cry form those primped and posed pooches you'll see propped on the plush pet beds in those high-end catalogs and web sites. So I wondered, "What the heck are those things made of anyhow?" I was pretty surprised by what I found.

On one site I visited; let's call it "MegaPetSupplies.com" to protect the innocent (namely me) - it boasted of filler for their beds that was made of "NASA-created memory foam." Well that certainly sounds earth-friendly now doesn't it? Memory foam? What does it need to remember? They say that a dog only has a memory himself encompassing of only the previous few hours, so I guess their beds will have a clearer recollection of how they last laid on it. As a matter of fact, as I looked around and poked through a few different web sites and stores, I discovered pretty much the same type of things; Soil-resistant, 100% polypropylene, polyester and even "virgin polyester fiber" which, I'm guessing is a way to make it sound more natural and organic. Not much here in the way of recycled materials or cause-driven marketing; save, one site.

Enter Celebrity Interior Designer and Dog Rescuer Kari Whitman and her line of Greener Pup dog beds. Not only are Kari's beds made with recycled/repurposed materials, but a large portion of each sale goes toward a number of charitable organizations. The beds themselves are filled with material sourced from 100% recycled plastic bottles. These fiber fillers are breathable and non-allergenic, and won't breakdown or degrade the way traditional, polyester and foam fillers typically do, so Greener Pup beds will last longer. All of the bed covers are made of materials that are "rescued" from the textile industry and would've otherwise ended up in our landfills. These fabrics are overstock, discontinued patterns or contain slight cosmetic flaws that Greener Pup is able to cut around. Another reason to feel great about getting my canine compadre his bed from Greener Pup is the company's commitment to dog rescue and environmental causes. A portion of the proceeds from each bed sale goes to Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue, a non-profit organization, which has helped to save over 2,000 dogs to date from euthanization. And that's not all; proceeds also benefit shelter animals of all kinds, as well as Global Green. Kari's pet beds currently reside in some of the most interesting and high-profile residences, including those of actresses Jessica Alba, Virginia Madsen and Kristen Bell, just to name a few. Her products, organizations and causes have been featured in articles in InStyle, washingtonpost.com, US Weekly, Modern Dog and Statement magazine. Although our own black lab, Obi merely cocks his head with a single lifted ear when I read all of these statistics, facts and credentials to him, I know he appreciates all of the thorough research I have put in on his behalf.

So if you are trying to live as green as you can and contribute to the preservation and sustainability of our natural resources, don't forget to include your pets as well. Greener Pup beds are available in many patterns and sizes in the Envi-image online Eco-Shop for order and delivery. They do much more than simply repurpose and recycle material; they also give back to the environment and our communities as a whole making them an easy choice in helping lessen your whole pack's impact on the planet.

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