Cedar is asking for your help. Are your pet's micro chipped, licensed, tattooed or otherwise distinguished? If not, why? We have found numerous dogs recently in the neighborhood that were not tagged. Without ID it is hard for a pet to find its way home. You may think your pet won't escape but sometimes a door is left open unintentionally or some other oddity takes place. Bear in mind only 2% of lost cats and 15% of lost dogs are reunited with their pet parent. Don't overlook indoor pets, especially cats.

We are challenged to understand the reasons why people don't license their dogs. Is it the cost, you just haven't gotten around to it, you don't think it is necessary or you didn't know it was the law?

Do you live in a city or rural? Would you tell us where?

Please send Cedar an email with your input. You'll hear more about this in the future on this blog and at examiner.com. It is a growing concern and a major Doggone Green Agenda issue.

Join her as a Doggone Green Crusader

Cedar Dog

Let me be clear, I am not being compensated by Honda to write on their 2009 fall edition Dog Friendly^TM SUV. I do put my paws together for a "dedicated second row and cargo area pet restraint system." An unrestrained dog impacting humans in a collision can be deadly for everyone.

I've had a seatbelt for several years. It provides protection in a standard vehicle including the back of a SUV and uses the vehicle's existing seat belt system. My belt has its own carrying case so it goes with me and features a metal latch vs. the breakable plastic models. See the video crash tests with a 35lb. dummy dog in a vehicle traveling 30mph. When the vehicle impacted, the dog generated 1,135lbs. of force. That's a smasher! 

Now, let's get back to Honda's "Pet-hauling Champ." It features a cushiony pet bed which should be eco-friendly. The bed is in the cargo area on an "elevated platform." Hum, I wonder if there is a sunroof above the pet bed. What's more, they've added an extendable cargo area load-in ramp which can be useful for a senior dog. The seat covers in the second-row show off a dog pattern design which matches the pet bed fabric. The floor mats have a toy bone pattern, are all-season rubber and washable. The "dog friendly" exterior emblem broadcasts; special cargo onboard.

Other features include a spill-resistant water bowl. This is an opportunity for a green and healthy add-on; I recommend a stainless steel bowl. Their 12V DC rear ventilation fan is attention-grabbing especially if a dog is sitting in the cargo area or second-row seat and their pet parents smoke. Second-hand smoke is super toxic. I am adamant and won't take no for an answer Honda; pets in a confined area need better than the flow of fresh air. We must have a quality air machine. 

With all of the challenges car makers face these days, Honda may want to reassess. With my healthier, eco-friendly plan, pets and their people could benefit. Even if it's in just one category; air filtration would help everyone breathe easier.

Two last things; despite their claim that this is a "Pet-hauling Champ," my feline family is left-out. There is no mention of crate restraints. My idea; advertise the new Honda Element as a Dog-hauling Champ. Oh, one more thing. Where are the door and window locks? Dogs can easily roll down a window or unlock a door for a fast escape?

I'm a penny-wise Doggone Green Crusader. I'll bring my own add-ons and continue to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.

Click here for more information on seatbelt restraints.

Paws Up to the Denver Zoo; I barked about their Poop-to-Power project in Doggone Green. Now, they win my Doggone Green Crusader On-the Move honor for being the 1^st zoo in the U.S. to be acknowledged for its super duper environmental management program. I say how cool is that? The designation was given by some big-wig international group of humans for getting things right for a change. I say it's about time!

I am still excited about the zoo's Poop-to-Power research. Their Asian elephants, Mimi and Dolly who weigh 10,100 and 7,600 pounds, respectively and who each produce 75-100 pounds of waste every day may be able to help the zoo trim energy bills and trips to the landfill. At present, Mimi and Dolly's poop and the other zoo animal waste are being sent to the landfill. The way I look at it; when you add up the zoo's creature waste and Denver's entire cat and dog population's poop--all trucked to the landfills--you can imagine the zoo's gasification power plant would be poop-ular. I congratulate the zoo for its planning.

They might want to look into a contraption made in Texas that works deep in the bowels of a landfill; a super powerful garbage-eating machine called the the PowerMaster ReCyclone^TM. It works like the wind inside a tornado, grinding garbage into tiny pieces. Technology like this has the potential to close down city landfills. That's a good thing as landfill costs are rising and space is disappearing. The grinder turns waste into compost or energy.

In San Francisco, where 4% of residential waste is dog poop, the city decided to put the stinky stuff to work. Turning our poop into electricity is a groovy thing. Imagine reducing our paw-print by pumping out stinkers? Of course by bovine friends have been running farm machinery off of their manure for years. These days bigger and bigger projects are being built around the country to power homes. The government is catching on too with a plan to offer pocketbook credits. Imagine; a cleaner environment and more jobs all compliments of animal poop.

Lots of ground-breaking stuff is happening in the recycling world. I always say find places to recycle trash into cash for a cause. Find a local group and take your recycles there---paper, aluminum, glass, plastic and steel.  This is also a good time to remind pet's ‘n their people that composting organic kitchen waste is not hard. Use worms or start a compost pile when the weather gets warmer.

Stay in Touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Buy my book

I wasn't invited to the recent people get-together here in Denver where the subject was coyotes. It was sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State University. Mom told me all about it and thinks these sneaky animals are pretty smart. I don't know about that, I told her they might have pulled the wool-over-her-eyes.

Wildlife workers have a coyote vocabulary. When we take walks in the neighborhood we often see coyotes. Mom said those are encounters, where one just pops up and might follow us. An incident is an unsafe situation where they do violence to a dog. The last is called an attack when a human is injured or killed by a coyote. Then she told me that a negative coyote/human interaction in suburban neighborhoods is preventable. Bamboozling, I thought!

I asked her to describe a coyote; brownish-gray, pointed ears, a slender muzzle like mine and a bushy tail. Males generally weigh 25- 45 lbs, females 22-35 lbs. This is the scary part, a coyote she says does not know the difference between a domestic animal and a wild one---they see both as a meal, or maybe a threat to their young or a possible mate. OK, I said, this is getting a little too personal to me. She had my attention. I am determined to not be a part of their prey-base. I weigh-in at 76 lbs so I may be excluded unless we encounter a pretty bold or hungry coyote.

They breed in February & March and are usually born in April and May with a litter size of 5-7 pups. They live in dens; culverts, steep banks, rock crevices, underbrush etc. and typically less than a mile from water. There job is to find food sources for their young. It seems in the U.S. coyotes are meeting their needs in our neighborhoods. There have been more and more attacks on humans and pets. Here on Colorado's Front Range pet attacks are the #1 conflict. In general they prey on rabbits, mice and birds as well as young deer and sheep. They are fond of trash, fruits, bird feed and insects.

Now for the scoop for pets ‘n their people; when walking keep dogs (especially small dogs) on a short leash, keep cats indoors, clear or trim cover in yards so they can't hide and don't leave your dogs outdoors for extended periods of time. The really big thing, don't feed wildlife. That means don't leave pet food or water outdoors or bird food. Makes sense to me; Mom said, "once fed they become even more challenging and insistent."

What else, I asked? We need to learn to coexist, she explained. We all live here, but they don't fear us like they once did. In other words they have adapted to our city surroundings; we need to instill fear in them again. She said low intensity hazing can scare them away; making loud noise like yelling, clapping, banging pots/pans, throwing rocks vs. high-powered hazing done by wildlife workers using paintballs and pepper balls. Lethal control is a last resort she said, where cities have hired guns to take out coyotes. Sounds dangerous, I said, "Is that really necessary?" A suburb of Denver, Greenwood Village, recently put a plan in place to do just that, she explained. It has created quite a raucous. The Division of Wildlife uses lethal control when human safety is an issue.

Upshot; urban coyotes are here to stay; the Division of Wildlife can help. Keep your local police department updated on sightings. Take home-message; learn to co-exist with coyotes. That requires an understanding of how coyotes survive and  how humans can shape coyote behavior. Don't feed wildlife.  

Stay in touch with me,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

It's all the bow-wow, this TV and digital ruse planned to take effect February 17, 2009. My dog-eared wisdom says it's another rip-off, set to hurt persons with flexible incomes (low-income, the elderly) and those who live in rural areas. My other issue, whoever concocted this switch had no "green plan." I told Mom; let's use the old TV until it doesn't work anymore. For me, it's reduce first, then reuse and recycle.

Here's the doo! You don‘t have to chuck your ole analog TV. Get a converter box. If you get a new "squawk box" (go energy efficient with an Energy Star product) and make sure you keep the old TV out of the landfill. There it leaks 4-8 pounds of lead into groundwater. Seventy percent of the heavy metals found in landfills include lead, mercury and other dangerous chemicals that come from electronic cast offs.

Mom and I had to get a computer fix recently; we took the opportunity to de-clutter. You know getting rid of old computers and monitors that were gathering dust. We took them to the local computer guy who fixes them up and gives them to a needy family or a school. Now how cool is that? Remind your pet parents, the landfill or even worse the sidewalk is not a solution. Oh, make sure the folks who say they are recycling are not dumping them overseas. That is not at all neighborly.

While my real life is anything but boring, Mom and I don't watch anywhere close to the typical 4-5 hours most people spend in front of TV every day. In case you wonder, as a dog I watch animal and planet earth programs.

As always stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Wow, am I excited. We have a new President; I look forward to a larger animal agenda, where animals everywhere can have greater protections. View the 100-items proposed by the Humane Society of the U.S. They give you an opportunity to bow wow your choices and become paw-litically involved. 

Keep your eyes on the girls, Malia and Sasha Obama. According to dad, they are ready to bring home a puppy this Spring. That news makes my tail wag. Don’t tell them but I plan to send a copy of Doggone Green, organic treats and a couple of Tuff™ balls.

Many presidential families have brought their dogs, and in some cases cats, along with them to the White House. Teddy Roosevelt had Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever like me. Lincoln had a pig in the White House, a dog named Fido, rabbits, goats, turkeys and cats. Look over the other pets that have lived in the White House from George Washington to George Bush.

There are several books in the library you may want to check out.  I especially liked First Dogs: American Presidents & their Best Friends by Roy Rowan and Brooke Janis.

Stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Say it ain't so, Sarah Palin! You've been telling us you are a champion of everyday citizens. However, I know you've left out the animals. It seems your record on animal cruelty is backwards and revolting. Americans abhor cruelty to animals and that makes you out of step with the mainstream.

The U.S. Humane Society's (HSUS) has one and only one criteria---where does a candidate for congress or president stand on animal protection policy. In other words this is an organization that cares about us, the animals. They based their information not on partisan politics and other social issues, but on treatment of the animals.

As a Doggone Green Crusader, I am exercised about this. You see if you, Governor Palin actually became second in command or president that would be a tragedy for animal issues and anything but a step forward. When our people vote they need to know your positions on animal welfare and conservation in Alaska.

As you might imagine the facts on Governor Palin have drawn huge reaction. Speaking as a pampered pooch, I think that is good, after all this is 2008 and it is way past time for things to change for us. These days it is about celebrating animals and meeting cruelty head-on. Neglect and abuse strikes not only cats, dogs and other companion animals, but also farm animals, horses, furbearers, animals in entertainment or research and wildlife.

Be aware Californians are voting on Proposition 2. This is about the treatment of animals raised for food. Prop 2 gives California voters (and others of us) an opportunity to think over some of today's most abusive factory farming practices.

"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." Rachel Carson, American Author and Marine Biologist

How cool is this, Olympian Michael Phelps kicking back and hanging out with Herman, his British Bull Dog. I sure dig it being a pampered pooch myself. You can see Herman here.

After several articles appeared on Herman and all the cash Michael stands to gain from endorsements, it seems folks got their tails out of joint over Herman. They said he is ugly. I say beauty is in the "eyes of the beholder." Personally, I have never seen an ugly dog but people; we might want to chat about that.

As you might expect, books, movie deals and dog-food makers are keen to grab hold of Michael and Herman. Now, I do not have cash to offer Herman but I think I have something better, joining me as a Doggone Green Crusader and saving the earth.

I want Herman to be on guard as regards a possible dog-food endorsement cause when "Big Herman" yaps, pets ‘n their people will pay attention. It is an attitude, if it's good enough for Herman, its good enough for me.

I'm a Chesapeake Bay retriever and bigger than Herman. I weigh 79 lbs.; British Bull Dogs tend to be 45 to 55 lbs. That means I consume more food daily. That's important when you consider quality because "we are what we eat." I always tell pets, "You can save hundreds of dollars on vet bills by spending a few extra bucks on high quality pet food and have a quality life? 

Use This Stuff for Bio-Fuels

As I said in Doggone Green, the pet food industry is dreadful. It's a place for slaughterhouse waste and by-products. It is no accident-recycled grease and fry oil is sprayed on pet food for taste. I say, use recycled grease for bio-fuel not in pet food.

Too many 2-leggeds expect us to not only eat the garbage they pay money for but also love it. Put your noggin' around this: if you begin with by-products (i.e. left-over animal parts after the meat is gone from the bones which could be anything rejected by the slaughterhouse and unfit for human consumption) how is it that you can make that "crap" flavorful, appealing and nutritious for dogs and cats? Not possible I say. If you don't start with first class ingredients, you sure aren't going to get a quality pet food. I say stick with human-grade ingredients, organic or free-range. If your pet parent won't eat it neither should you.

Cheap food is easy to find; grocery store isles, pet discount stores and even dollar stores. I say shop at your locally owned pet store because you are more likely to find a higher quality food. Don't assume canned food is any better than dry kibble.

There are no short cuts; become skilled at reading the labels. If pet food makers spent billions on the contents, dogs and cats would be a lot healthier and less obese. Instead, they squander it on packaging and advertising to make it sound healthy. Keep in mind we rely on you, our pet parents to decide what is best for us. We don't care how they wrap it or what they call it; we care that it is nutritious. You should too.

Dogs and cats thrive on high protein meals of meat and poultry. Think about it the way I do. If you knew the food you were eating was full of artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin), antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, by-products, dyes, flavorings and fillers, would you eat it? Learn to look for these items on the ingredient label. If you see them listed, buy a better food.

You need to know that by-products, digests and meals can be full of cancerous tissue cuts, plastic foam wrappings that may contain spoiled meat from stores, road kill, pieces of downer animals and grains considered unfit for our two-leggeds. I tell you this stuff is ugly.

My bud Eddie, with Pets for the Environment (located in Washington, DC) is on a mission for safer food and is "digging up" the facts. Read his pet food blog.

As for Herman, call me; we need to yap. Our times call for a country full of Doggone Green Crusaders. I need you and the planet needs you!

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Politics is still stinkin' up the air. It's time we had a talk about animal politics. Oh, I know; I can hear some of you now, crabby and yawning. Hang tight, I'll make it short.

First off, I srutted my book and Doggone Green Cape (my cape is really something to woof about) at Denver's Green Frontier Fest. We were the Green Print Denver kick-off event for the Democratic National Convention. Doggone Green was selected to participate because we are actively waggin' our tail to help create a sustainable future. Not only was I busy signing up Doggone Green Crusaders in every state but the Rocky Mountain News selected Doggone Green as the top eco-hip item at the event. 

In my book I said, "I have a hard time getting my noggin' around why it is so difficult to get laws passed that keep animals safe. Elected representatives must forget about us when they go to the Capitol. This is very sad to me in light of how we serve humans day in and day out."

Mom sees it differently, reminding me not to take it so personally. She says lawmakers are supposed to know what is going on, except they run out of time and cannot keep up with it all. She said, it is about priorities. Exactly, my point I barked back, which is why we need to bring issues front and center; its time they wake up. I say to neglect our concerns is paw-litical suicide.

As I see it, we need to do a couple of things: Know our issues and build grassroots "power packs." Lawmakers need to recognize that we talk to other "packs" and together we support candidates. Julie Lewin, of the National Institute for Animal Advocacy, (NIFAA), says, "Right now powerful interest groups are beating us." Okay I want to know who are the powerful interest groups against the animals.

According to Lewin, very few of us know our lawmakers' votes on animal issues and we are the ones who care most about humane treatment and laws? Now, that doesn't square very well with me. Don't most Americans back humane treatment of animals?

As far as I am concerned this is where the rubber meets the road; our furry four-pads need to beat a path to lawmakers' doors. OK then, our job is education and pack action.

I'll fetch some guests who are familiar with what we need to know and when; national and local groups who do the paw-itical work for the animals. Read my recent interview. Finally, I will check out where the contenders for Grand Poobah stand on animal issues.

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

I have been yapping at Mom and I think she's over me so I thought I'd blog. Getting my doggie noggin around this idea of sustainability is a big job for a dog.

First off, some news from Doggone Green headquarters. My moms got me that puppy I said I wanted after I finished my book. Ernie is his name. He is the cutest little guy. Don't tell him, but he is good for me; keeping me young and in top form.

Here's the thing, I watched him the other day and his puppy steps remind me of the Doggone Green Actions  I bark about in my book. Ernie's paws are huge. After all, he is a chessie like me. He's a little awkward as his 4-paws get in his way. He doesn't mind, he just plods along.

Sustainability is a lot like Ernie taking one puppy step-at-a-time. It's a huge job but it is not rocket-science. Andrea Robinson, the top dog of "green" for the ‘big party" here Aug. 25-Aug. 28, (that would be the Democratic National Convention) puts it this way, "Sustainability isn't that hard to do. It's taking maybe one more millisecond of thought about where you put something or what you use."

Well, there you go---thought and action, something we'd like the two-leggeds to value so together we can help save the earth.

I particiapted in the Colorado EarthWorks Expo in June. It was a zero waste event with 3,000 people attending; the Democratic National Convention  expects 50,000 guests, the Republican National Convention plan on 45,000 attendees. Both claim their conventions will be the greenest ever. When Mom read that I barked out, "that wouldn't be hard." I am smart enough to know if they are making a big deal about it in 2008; they haven't done much before now. This is a good place to give tail wags to Xcel Energy for anteing up the "green" to power both events with wind.

I put my paws together and bark out loud for Andrea Robinson.  Her goal for the 5-day event is to recycle, reuse or compost at least 85 percent of all trash generated during the democrat's bash. That means only 15% is sent to the landfill. Now that makes my tail wag.

How does she plan to do that you ask? Robinson gathered 900 green volunteers; I call them the "green pack" sorting trash for the event. I would volunteer but doubt they would want me. Mom calls me garbage mouth when I get into things I am not supposed to. Some claim the DNC's Robinson is way over the edge. Not me, this woman is on a mission and is a Doggone Green Crusader. I want her on my team any day.

The Republicans meet in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Sept. 1-Sept. 4. Mom tells me the green efforts of each gathering are light years apart. You can make up your own mind.

For me, sustainable is about wellness and a better quality life for our people, the animals and the earth. The big point is that we don't use up all of the earth's natural resources in the process. When we reduce our use of toxic chemicals, reduce pollution and at the same time care for and save natural resources we make the earth a safer place now and for future generations.

I talk in Doggone Green that before buying anything consider the product's lifecycle and determine how long it will last. Can you dispose of it without throwing it in the trash? Is their a more friendly alternative you can choose instead? If we do use it, will it distress the earth?                                        

So what is Zero-Waste. The end of all garbage, as we know it and our humans focused on redesigning products for reuse. Reused items go back into nature or the marketplace. Now, that's sustainable.

One last thing, I wonder if anyone attending either of these events will be bringing their dog. If so, please commit to memory---dog poop is an eco-concern. You walk your dog, pick up the poop using a biodegradable or compostable doo-bag, then flush the poop, minus the bag. Believe me; you have the EPA's blessing!   Let's see, what do we do with the bag? Look for the nearnest recycle bin.

Tail Wagggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

Look for me on August 24^th in Denver's Green Frontier Festival.

www.cedar@petsgonegreen.com

I wasn't invited to the recent people get-together here in Denver where the subject was coyotes. It was sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State University. Mom told me all about it and thinks these sneaky animals are pretty smart. I don't know about that, I told her they might have pulled the wool-over-her-eyes.

Wildlife workers have a coyote vocabulary. When we take walks in the neighborhood we often see coyotes. Mom said those are encounters, where one just pops up and might follow us. An incident is an unsafe situation where they do violence to a dog. The last is called an attack when a human is injured or killed by a coyote. Then she told me that a negative coyote/human interaction in suburban neighborhoods is preventable. Bamboozling, I thought!

I asked her to describe a coyote; brownish-gray, pointed ears, a slender muzzle like mine and a bushy tail. Males generally weigh 25- 45 lbs, females 22-35 lbs. This is the scary part, a coyote she says does not know the difference between a domestic animal and a wild one---they see both as a meal, or maybe a threat to their young or a possible mate. OK, I said, this is getting a little too personal to me. She had my attention. I am determined to not be a part of their prey-base. I weigh-in at 76 lbs so I may be excluded unless we encounter a pretty bold or hungry coyote.

They breed in February & March and are usually born in April and May with a litter size of 5-7 pups. They live in dens; culverts, steep banks, rock crevices, underbrush etc. and typically less than a mile from water. There job is to find food sources for their young. It seems in the U.S. coyotes are meeting their needs in our neighborhoods. There have been more and more attacks on humans and pets. Here on Colorado's Front Range pet attacks are the #1 conflict. In general they prey on rabbits, mice and birds as well as young deer and sheep. They are fond of trash, fruits, bird feed and insects.

Now for the scoop for pets ‘n their people; when walking keep dogs (especially small dogs) on a short leash, keep cats indoors, clear or trim cover in yards so they can't hide and don't leave your dogs outdoors for extended periods of time. The really big thing, don't feed wildlife. That means don't leave pet food or water outdoors or bird food. Makes sense to me; Mom said, "once fed they become even more challenging and insistent."

What else, I asked? We need to learn to coexist, she explained. We all live here, but they don't fear us like they once did. In other words they have adapted to our city surroundings; we need to instill fear in them again. She said low intensity hazing can scare them away; making loud noise like yelling, clapping, banging pots/pans, throwing rocks vs. high-powered hazing done by wildlife workers using paintballs and pepper balls. Lethal control is a last resort she said, where cities have hired guns to take out coyotes. Sounds dangerous, I said, "Is that really necessary?" A suburb of Denver, Greenwood Village, recently put a plan in place to do just that, she explained. It has created quite a raucous. The Division of Wildlife uses lethal control when human safety is an issue.

Upshot; urban coyotes are here to stay; the Division of Wildlife can help. Keep your local police department updated on sightings. Take home-message; learn to co-exist with coyotes. That requires an understanding of how coyotes survive and  how humans can shape coyote behavior. Don't feed wildlife.  

Stay in touch with me,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

It's all the bow-wow, this TV and digital ruse planned to take effect February 17, 2009. My dog-eared wisdom says it's another rip-off, set to hurt persons with flexible incomes (low-income, the elderly) and those who live in rural areas. My other issue, whoever concocted this switch had no "green plan." I told Mom; let's use the old TV until it doesn't work anymore. For me, it's reduce first, then reuse and recycle.

Here's the doo! You don‘t have to chuck your ole analog TV. Get a converter box. If you get a new "squawk box" (go energy efficient with an Energy Star product) and make sure you keep the old TV out of the landfill. There it leaks 4-8 pounds of lead into groundwater. Seventy percent of the heavy metals found in landfills include lead, mercury and other dangerous chemicals that come from electronic cast offs.

Mom and I had to get a computer fix recently; we took the opportunity to de-clutter. You know getting rid of old computers and monitors that were gathering dust. We took them to the local computer guy who fixes them up and gives them to a needy family or a school. Now how cool is that? Remind your pet parents, the landfill or even worse the sidewalk is not a solution. Oh, make sure the folks who say they are recycling are not dumping them overseas. That is not at all neighborly.

While my real life is anything but boring, Mom and I don't watch anywhere close to the typical 4-5 hours most people spend in front of TV every day. In case you wonder, as a dog I watch animal and planet earth programs.

As always stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Wow, am I excited. We have a new President; I look forward to a larger animal agenda, where animals everywhere can have greater protections. View the 100-items proposed by the Humane Society of the U.S. They give you an opportunity to bow wow your choices and become paw-litically involved. 

Keep your eyes on the girls, Malia and Sasha Obama. According to dad, they are ready to bring home a puppy this Spring. That news makes my tail wag. Don’t tell them but I plan to send a copy of Doggone Green, organic treats and a couple of Tuff™ balls.

Many presidential families have brought their dogs, and in some cases cats, along with them to the White House. Teddy Roosevelt had Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever like me. Lincoln had a pig in the White House, a dog named Fido, rabbits, goats, turkeys and cats. Look over the other pets that have lived in the White House from George Washington to George Bush.

There are several books in the library you may want to check out.  I especially liked First Dogs: American Presidents & their Best Friends by Roy Rowan and Brooke Janis.

Stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Say it ain't so, Sarah Palin! You've been telling us you are a champion of everyday citizens. However, I know you've left out the animals. It seems your record on animal cruelty is backwards and revolting. Americans abhor cruelty to animals and that makes you out of step with the mainstream.

The U.S. Humane Society's (HSUS) has one and only one criteria---where does a candidate for congress or president stand on animal protection policy. In other words this is an organization that cares about us, the animals. They based their information not on partisan politics and other social issues, but on treatment of the animals.

As a Doggone Green Crusader, I am exercised about this. You see if you, Governor Palin actually became second in command or president that would be a tragedy for animal issues and anything but a step forward. When our people vote they need to know your positions on animal welfare and conservation in Alaska.

As you might imagine the facts on Governor Palin have drawn huge reaction. Speaking as a pampered pooch, I think that is good, after all this is 2008 and it is way past time for things to change for us. These days it is about celebrating animals and meeting cruelty head-on. Neglect and abuse strikes not only cats, dogs and other companion animals, but also farm animals, horses, furbearers, animals in entertainment or research and wildlife.

Be aware Californians are voting on Proposition 2. This is about the treatment of animals raised for food. Prop 2 gives California voters (and others of us) an opportunity to think over some of today's most abusive factory farming practices.

"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." Rachel Carson, American Author and Marine Biologist

How cool is this, Olympian Michael Phelps kicking back and hanging out with Herman, his British Bull Dog. I sure dig it being a pampered pooch myself. You can see Herman here.

After several articles appeared on Herman and all the cash Michael stands to gain from endorsements, it seems folks got their tails out of joint over Herman. They said he is ugly. I say beauty is in the "eyes of the beholder." Personally, I have never seen an ugly dog but people; we might want to chat about that.

As you might expect, books, movie deals and dog-food makers are keen to grab hold of Michael and Herman. Now, I do not have cash to offer Herman but I think I have something better, joining me as a Doggone Green Crusader and saving the earth.

I want Herman to be on guard as regards a possible dog-food endorsement cause when "Big Herman" yaps, pets ‘n their people will pay attention. It is an attitude, if it's good enough for Herman, its good enough for me.

I'm a Chesapeake Bay retriever and bigger than Herman. I weigh 79 lbs.; British Bull Dogs tend to be 45 to 55 lbs. That means I consume more food daily. That's important when you consider quality because "we are what we eat." I always tell pets, "You can save hundreds of dollars on vet bills by spending a few extra bucks on high quality pet food and have a quality life? 

Use This Stuff for Bio-Fuels

As I said in Doggone Green, the pet food industry is dreadful. It's a place for slaughterhouse waste and by-products. It is no accident-recycled grease and fry oil is sprayed on pet food for taste. I say, use recycled grease for bio-fuel not in pet food.

Too many 2-leggeds expect us to not only eat the garbage they pay money for but also love it. Put your noggin' around this: if you begin with by-products (i.e. left-over animal parts after the meat is gone from the bones which could be anything rejected by the slaughterhouse and unfit for human consumption) how is it that you can make that "crap" flavorful, appealing and nutritious for dogs and cats? Not possible I say. If you don't start with first class ingredients, you sure aren't going to get a quality pet food. I say stick with human-grade ingredients, organic or free-range. If your pet parent won't eat it neither should you.

Cheap food is easy to find; grocery store isles, pet discount stores and even dollar stores. I say shop at your locally owned pet store because you are more likely to find a higher quality food. Don't assume canned food is any better than dry kibble.

There are no short cuts; become skilled at reading the labels. If pet food makers spent billions on the contents, dogs and cats would be a lot healthier and less obese. Instead, they squander it on packaging and advertising to make it sound healthy. Keep in mind we rely on you, our pet parents to decide what is best for us. We don't care how they wrap it or what they call it; we care that it is nutritious. You should too.

Dogs and cats thrive on high protein meals of meat and poultry. Think about it the way I do. If you knew the food you were eating was full of artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin), antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, by-products, dyes, flavorings and fillers, would you eat it? Learn to look for these items on the ingredient label. If you see them listed, buy a better food.

You need to know that by-products, digests and meals can be full of cancerous tissue cuts, plastic foam wrappings that may contain spoiled meat from stores, road kill, pieces of downer animals and grains considered unfit for our two-leggeds. I tell you this stuff is ugly.

My bud Eddie, with Pets for the Environment (located in Washington, DC) is on a mission for safer food and is "digging up" the facts. Read his pet food blog.

As for Herman, call me; we need to yap. Our times call for a country full of Doggone Green Crusaders. I need you and the planet needs you!

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Politics is still stinkin' up the air. It's time we had a talk about animal politics. Oh, I know; I can hear some of you now, crabby and yawning. Hang tight, I'll make it short.

First off, I srutted my book and Doggone Green Cape (my cape is really something to woof about) at Denver's Green Frontier Fest. We were the Green Print Denver kick-off event for the Democratic National Convention. Doggone Green was selected to participate because we are actively waggin' our tail to help create a sustainable future. Not only was I busy signing up Doggone Green Crusaders in every state but the Rocky Mountain News selected Doggone Green as the top eco-hip item at the event. 

In my book I said, "I have a hard time getting my noggin' around why it is so difficult to get laws passed that keep animals safe. Elected representatives must forget about us when they go to the Capitol. This is very sad to me in light of how we serve humans day in and day out."

Mom sees it differently, reminding me not to take it so personally. She says lawmakers are supposed to know what is going on, except they run out of time and cannot keep up with it all. She said, it is about priorities. Exactly, my point I barked back, which is why we need to bring issues front and center; its time they wake up. I say to neglect our concerns is paw-litical suicide.

As I see it, we need to do a couple of things: Know our issues and build grassroots "power packs." Lawmakers need to recognize that we talk to other "packs" and together we support candidates. Julie Lewin, of the National Institute for Animal Advocacy, (NIFAA), says, "Right now powerful interest groups are beating us." Okay I want to know who are the powerful interest groups against the animals.

According to Lewin, very few of us know our lawmakers' votes on animal issues and we are the ones who care most about humane treatment and laws? Now, that doesn't square very well with me. Don't most Americans back humane treatment of animals?

As far as I am concerned this is where the rubber meets the road; our furry four-pads need to beat a path to lawmakers' doors. OK then, our job is education and pack action.

I'll fetch some guests who are familiar with what we need to know and when; national and local groups who do the paw-itical work for the animals. Read my recent interview. Finally, I will check out where the contenders for Grand Poobah stand on animal issues.

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

I have been yapping at Mom and I think she's over me so I thought I'd blog. Getting my doggie noggin around this idea of sustainability is a big job for a dog.

First off, some news from Doggone Green headquarters. My moms got me that puppy I said I wanted after I finished my book. Ernie is his name. He is the cutest little guy. Don't tell him, but he is good for me; keeping me young and in top form.

Here's the thing, I watched him the other day and his puppy steps remind me of the Doggone Green Actions  I bark about in my book. Ernie's paws are huge. After all, he is a chessie like me. He's a little awkward as his 4-paws get in his way. He doesn't mind, he just plods along.

Sustainability is a lot like Ernie taking one puppy step-at-a-time. It's a huge job but it is not rocket-science. Andrea Robinson, the top dog of "green" for the ‘big party" here Aug. 25-Aug. 28, (that would be the Democratic National Convention) puts it this way, "Sustainability isn't that hard to do. It's taking maybe one more millisecond of thought about where you put something or what you use."

Well, there you go---thought and action, something we'd like the two-leggeds to value so together we can help save the earth.

I particiapted in the Colorado EarthWorks Expo in June. It was a zero waste event with 3,000 people attending; the Democratic National Convention  expects 50,000 guests, the Republican National Convention plan on 45,000 attendees. Both claim their conventions will be the greenest ever. When Mom read that I barked out, "that wouldn't be hard." I am smart enough to know if they are making a big deal about it in 2008; they haven't done much before now. This is a good place to give tail wags to Xcel Energy for anteing up the "green" to power both events with wind.

I put my paws together and bark out loud for Andrea Robinson.  Her goal for the 5-day event is to recycle, reuse or compost at least 85 percent of all trash generated during the democrat's bash. That means only 15% is sent to the landfill. Now that makes my tail wag.

How does she plan to do that you ask? Robinson gathered 900 green volunteers; I call them the "green pack" sorting trash for the event. I would volunteer but doubt they would want me. Mom calls me garbage mouth when I get into things I am not supposed to. Some claim the DNC's Robinson is way over the edge. Not me, this woman is on a mission and is a Doggone Green Crusader. I want her on my team any day.

The Republicans meet in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Sept. 1-Sept. 4. Mom tells me the green efforts of each gathering are light years apart. You can make up your own mind.

For me, sustainable is about wellness and a better quality life for our people, the animals and the earth. The big point is that we don't use up all of the earth's natural resources in the process. When we reduce our use of toxic chemicals, reduce pollution and at the same time care for and save natural resources we make the earth a safer place now and for future generations.

I talk in Doggone Green that before buying anything consider the product's lifecycle and determine how long it will last. Can you dispose of it without throwing it in the trash? Is their a more friendly alternative you can choose instead? If we do use it, will it distress the earth?                                        

So what is Zero-Waste. The end of all garbage, as we know it and our humans focused on redesigning products for reuse. Reused items go back into nature or the marketplace. Now, that's sustainable.

One last thing, I wonder if anyone attending either of these events will be bringing their dog. If so, please commit to memory---dog poop is an eco-concern. You walk your dog, pick up the poop using a biodegradable or compostable doo-bag, then flush the poop, minus the bag. Believe me; you have the EPA's blessing!   Let's see, what do we do with the bag? Look for the nearnest recycle bin.

Tail Wagggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

Look for me on August 24^th in Denver's Green Frontier Festival.

www.cedar@petsgonegreen.com

I wasn't invited to the recent people get-together here in Denver where the subject was coyotes. It was sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State University. Mom told me all about it and thinks these sneaky animals are pretty smart. I don't know about that, I told her they might have pulled the wool-over-her-eyes.

Wildlife workers have a coyote vocabulary. When we take walks in the neighborhood we often see coyotes. Mom said those are encounters, where one just pops up and might follow us. An incident is an unsafe situation where they do violence to a dog. The last is called an attack when a human is injured or killed by a coyote. Then she told me that a negative coyote/human interaction in suburban neighborhoods is preventable. Bamboozling, I thought!

I asked her to describe a coyote; brownish-gray, pointed ears, a slender muzzle like mine and a bushy tail. Males generally weigh 25- 45 lbs, females 22-35 lbs. This is the scary part, a coyote she says does not know the difference between a domestic animal and a wild one---they see both as a meal, or maybe a threat to their young or a possible mate. OK, I said, this is getting a little too personal to me. She had my attention. I am determined to not be a part of their prey-base. I weigh-in at 76 lbs so I may be excluded unless we encounter a pretty bold or hungry coyote.

They breed in February & March and are usually born in April and May with a litter size of 5-7 pups. They live in dens; culverts, steep banks, rock crevices, underbrush etc. and typically less than a mile from water. There job is to find food sources for their young. It seems in the U.S. coyotes are meeting their needs in our neighborhoods. There have been more and more attacks on humans and pets. Here on Colorado's Front Range pet attacks are the #1 conflict. In general they prey on rabbits, mice and birds as well as young deer and sheep. They are fond of trash, fruits, bird feed and insects.

Now for the scoop for pets ‘n their people; when walking keep dogs (especially small dogs) on a short leash, keep cats indoors, clear or trim cover in yards so they can't hide and don't leave your dogs outdoors for extended periods of time. The really big thing, don't feed wildlife. That means don't leave pet food or water outdoors or bird food. Makes sense to me; Mom said, "once fed they become even more challenging and insistent."

What else, I asked? We need to learn to coexist, she explained. We all live here, but they don't fear us like they once did. In other words they have adapted to our city surroundings; we need to instill fear in them again. She said low intensity hazing can scare them away; making loud noise like yelling, clapping, banging pots/pans, throwing rocks vs. high-powered hazing done by wildlife workers using paintballs and pepper balls. Lethal control is a last resort she said, where cities have hired guns to take out coyotes. Sounds dangerous, I said, "Is that really necessary?" A suburb of Denver, Greenwood Village, recently put a plan in place to do just that, she explained. It has created quite a raucous. The Division of Wildlife uses lethal control when human safety is an issue.

Upshot; urban coyotes are here to stay; the Division of Wildlife can help. Keep your local police department updated on sightings. Take home-message; learn to co-exist with coyotes. That requires an understanding of how coyotes survive and  how humans can shape coyote behavior. Don't feed wildlife.  

Stay in touch with me,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

It's all the bow-wow, this TV and digital ruse planned to take effect February 17, 2009. My dog-eared wisdom says it's another rip-off, set to hurt persons with flexible incomes (low-income, the elderly) and those who live in rural areas. My other issue, whoever concocted this switch had no "green plan." I told Mom; let's use the old TV until it doesn't work anymore. For me, it's reduce first, then reuse and recycle.

Here's the doo! You don‘t have to chuck your ole analog TV. Get a converter box. If you get a new "squawk box" (go energy efficient with an Energy Star product) and make sure you keep the old TV out of the landfill. There it leaks 4-8 pounds of lead into groundwater. Seventy percent of the heavy metals found in landfills include lead, mercury and other dangerous chemicals that come from electronic cast offs.

Mom and I had to get a computer fix recently; we took the opportunity to de-clutter. You know getting rid of old computers and monitors that were gathering dust. We took them to the local computer guy who fixes them up and gives them to a needy family or a school. Now how cool is that? Remind your pet parents, the landfill or even worse the sidewalk is not a solution. Oh, make sure the folks who say they are recycling are not dumping them overseas. That is not at all neighborly.

While my real life is anything but boring, Mom and I don't watch anywhere close to the typical 4-5 hours most people spend in front of TV every day. In case you wonder, as a dog I watch animal and planet earth programs.

As always stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Wow, am I excited. We have a new President; I look forward to a larger animal agenda, where animals everywhere can have greater protections. View the 100-items proposed by the Humane Society of the U.S. They give you an opportunity to bow wow your choices and become paw-litically involved. 

Keep your eyes on the girls, Malia and Sasha Obama. According to dad, they are ready to bring home a puppy this Spring. That news makes my tail wag. Don’t tell them but I plan to send a copy of Doggone Green, organic treats and a couple of Tuff™ balls.

Many presidential families have brought their dogs, and in some cases cats, along with them to the White House. Teddy Roosevelt had Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever like me. Lincoln had a pig in the White House, a dog named Fido, rabbits, goats, turkeys and cats. Look over the other pets that have lived in the White House from George Washington to George Bush.

There are several books in the library you may want to check out.  I especially liked First Dogs: American Presidents & their Best Friends by Roy Rowan and Brooke Janis.

Stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Say it ain't so, Sarah Palin! You've been telling us you are a champion of everyday citizens. However, I know you've left out the animals. It seems your record on animal cruelty is backwards and revolting. Americans abhor cruelty to animals and that makes you out of step with the mainstream.

The U.S. Humane Society's (HSUS) has one and only one criteria---where does a candidate for congress or president stand on animal protection policy. In other words this is an organization that cares about us, the animals. They based their information not on partisan politics and other social issues, but on treatment of the animals.

As a Doggone Green Crusader, I am exercised about this. You see if you, Governor Palin actually became second in command or president that would be a tragedy for animal issues and anything but a step forward. When our people vote they need to know your positions on animal welfare and conservation in Alaska.

As you might imagine the facts on Governor Palin have drawn huge reaction. Speaking as a pampered pooch, I think that is good, after all this is 2008 and it is way past time for things to change for us. These days it is about celebrating animals and meeting cruelty head-on. Neglect and abuse strikes not only cats, dogs and other companion animals, but also farm animals, horses, furbearers, animals in entertainment or research and wildlife.

Be aware Californians are voting on Proposition 2. This is about the treatment of animals raised for food. Prop 2 gives California voters (and others of us) an opportunity to think over some of today's most abusive factory farming practices.

"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." Rachel Carson, American Author and Marine Biologist

How cool is this, Olympian Michael Phelps kicking back and hanging out with Herman, his British Bull Dog. I sure dig it being a pampered pooch myself. You can see Herman here.

After several articles appeared on Herman and all the cash Michael stands to gain from endorsements, it seems folks got their tails out of joint over Herman. They said he is ugly. I say beauty is in the "eyes of the beholder." Personally, I have never seen an ugly dog but people; we might want to chat about that.

As you might expect, books, movie deals and dog-food makers are keen to grab hold of Michael and Herman. Now, I do not have cash to offer Herman but I think I have something better, joining me as a Doggone Green Crusader and saving the earth.

I want Herman to be on guard as regards a possible dog-food endorsement cause when "Big Herman" yaps, pets ‘n their people will pay attention. It is an attitude, if it's good enough for Herman, its good enough for me.

I'm a Chesapeake Bay retriever and bigger than Herman. I weigh 79 lbs.; British Bull Dogs tend to be 45 to 55 lbs. That means I consume more food daily. That's important when you consider quality because "we are what we eat." I always tell pets, "You can save hundreds of dollars on vet bills by spending a few extra bucks on high quality pet food and have a quality life? 

Use This Stuff for Bio-Fuels

As I said in Doggone Green, the pet food industry is dreadful. It's a place for slaughterhouse waste and by-products. It is no accident-recycled grease and fry oil is sprayed on pet food for taste. I say, use recycled grease for bio-fuel not in pet food.

Too many 2-leggeds expect us to not only eat the garbage they pay money for but also love it. Put your noggin' around this: if you begin with by-products (i.e. left-over animal parts after the meat is gone from the bones which could be anything rejected by the slaughterhouse and unfit for human consumption) how is it that you can make that "crap" flavorful, appealing and nutritious for dogs and cats? Not possible I say. If you don't start with first class ingredients, you sure aren't going to get a quality pet food. I say stick with human-grade ingredients, organic or free-range. If your pet parent won't eat it neither should you.

Cheap food is easy to find; grocery store isles, pet discount stores and even dollar stores. I say shop at your locally owned pet store because you are more likely to find a higher quality food. Don't assume canned food is any better than dry kibble.

There are no short cuts; become skilled at reading the labels. If pet food makers spent billions on the contents, dogs and cats would be a lot healthier and less obese. Instead, they squander it on packaging and advertising to make it sound healthy. Keep in mind we rely on you, our pet parents to decide what is best for us. We don't care how they wrap it or what they call it; we care that it is nutritious. You should too.

Dogs and cats thrive on high protein meals of meat and poultry. Think about it the way I do. If you knew the food you were eating was full of artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin), antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, by-products, dyes, flavorings and fillers, would you eat it? Learn to look for these items on the ingredient label. If you see them listed, buy a better food.

You need to know that by-products, digests and meals can be full of cancerous tissue cuts, plastic foam wrappings that may contain spoiled meat from stores, road kill, pieces of downer animals and grains considered unfit for our two-leggeds. I tell you this stuff is ugly.

My bud Eddie, with Pets for the Environment (located in Washington, DC) is on a mission for safer food and is "digging up" the facts. Read his pet food blog.

As for Herman, call me; we need to yap. Our times call for a country full of Doggone Green Crusaders. I need you and the planet needs you!

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Politics is still stinkin' up the air. It's time we had a talk about animal politics. Oh, I know; I can hear some of you now, crabby and yawning. Hang tight, I'll make it short.

First off, I srutted my book and Doggone Green Cape (my cape is really something to woof about) at Denver's Green Frontier Fest. We were the Green Print Denver kick-off event for the Democratic National Convention. Doggone Green was selected to participate because we are actively waggin' our tail to help create a sustainable future. Not only was I busy signing up Doggone Green Crusaders in every state but the Rocky Mountain News selected Doggone Green as the top eco-hip item at the event. 

In my book I said, "I have a hard time getting my noggin' around why it is so difficult to get laws passed that keep animals safe. Elected representatives must forget about us when they go to the Capitol. This is very sad to me in light of how we serve humans day in and day out."

Mom sees it differently, reminding me not to take it so personally. She says lawmakers are supposed to know what is going on, except they run out of time and cannot keep up with it all. She said, it is about priorities. Exactly, my point I barked back, which is why we need to bring issues front and center; its time they wake up. I say to neglect our concerns is paw-litical suicide.

As I see it, we need to do a couple of things: Know our issues and build grassroots "power packs." Lawmakers need to recognize that we talk to other "packs" and together we support candidates. Julie Lewin, of the National Institute for Animal Advocacy, (NIFAA), says, "Right now powerful interest groups are beating us." Okay I want to know who are the powerful interest groups against the animals.

According to Lewin, very few of us know our lawmakers' votes on animal issues and we are the ones who care most about humane treatment and laws? Now, that doesn't square very well with me. Don't most Americans back humane treatment of animals?

As far as I am concerned this is where the rubber meets the road; our furry four-pads need to beat a path to lawmakers' doors. OK then, our job is education and pack action.

I'll fetch some guests who are familiar with what we need to know and when; national and local groups who do the paw-itical work for the animals. Read my recent interview. Finally, I will check out where the contenders for Grand Poobah stand on animal issues.

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

I have been yapping at Mom and I think she's over me so I thought I'd blog. Getting my doggie noggin around this idea of sustainability is a big job for a dog.

First off, some news from Doggone Green headquarters. My moms got me that puppy I said I wanted after I finished my book. Ernie is his name. He is the cutest little guy. Don't tell him, but he is good for me; keeping me young and in top form.

Here's the thing, I watched him the other day and his puppy steps remind me of the Doggone Green Actions  I bark about in my book. Ernie's paws are huge. After all, he is a chessie like me. He's a little awkward as his 4-paws get in his way. He doesn't mind, he just plods along.

Sustainability is a lot like Ernie taking one puppy step-at-a-time. It's a huge job but it is not rocket-science. Andrea Robinson, the top dog of "green" for the ‘big party" here Aug. 25-Aug. 28, (that would be the Democratic National Convention) puts it this way, "Sustainability isn't that hard to do. It's taking maybe one more millisecond of thought about where you put something or what you use."

Well, there you go---thought and action, something we'd like the two-leggeds to value so together we can help save the earth.

I particiapted in the Colorado EarthWorks Expo in June. It was a zero waste event with 3,000 people attending; the Democratic National Convention  expects 50,000 guests, the Republican National Convention plan on 45,000 attendees. Both claim their conventions will be the greenest ever. When Mom read that I barked out, "that wouldn't be hard." I am smart enough to know if they are making a big deal about it in 2008; they haven't done much before now. This is a good place to give tail wags to Xcel Energy for anteing up the "green" to power both events with wind.

I put my paws together and bark out loud for Andrea Robinson.  Her goal for the 5-day event is to recycle, reuse or compost at least 85 percent of all trash generated during the democrat's bash. That means only 15% is sent to the landfill. Now that makes my tail wag.

How does she plan to do that you ask? Robinson gathered 900 green volunteers; I call them the "green pack" sorting trash for the event. I would volunteer but doubt they would want me. Mom calls me garbage mouth when I get into things I am not supposed to. Some claim the DNC's Robinson is way over the edge. Not me, this woman is on a mission and is a Doggone Green Crusader. I want her on my team any day.

The Republicans meet in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Sept. 1-Sept. 4. Mom tells me the green efforts of each gathering are light years apart. You can make up your own mind.

For me, sustainable is about wellness and a better quality life for our people, the animals and the earth. The big point is that we don't use up all of the earth's natural resources in the process. When we reduce our use of toxic chemicals, reduce pollution and at the same time care for and save natural resources we make the earth a safer place now and for future generations.

I talk in Doggone Green that before buying anything consider the product's lifecycle and determine how long it will last. Can you dispose of it without throwing it in the trash? Is their a more friendly alternative you can choose instead? If we do use it, will it distress the earth?                                        

So what is Zero-Waste. The end of all garbage, as we know it and our humans focused on redesigning products for reuse. Reused items go back into nature or the marketplace. Now, that's sustainable.

One last thing, I wonder if anyone attending either of these events will be bringing their dog. If so, please commit to memory---dog poop is an eco-concern. You walk your dog, pick up the poop using a biodegradable or compostable doo-bag, then flush the poop, minus the bag. Believe me; you have the EPA's blessing!   Let's see, what do we do with the bag? Look for the nearnest recycle bin.

Tail Wagggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

Look for me on August 24^th in Denver's Green Frontier Festival.

www.cedar@petsgonegreen.com

I wasn't invited to the recent people get-together here in Denver where the subject was coyotes. It was sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State University. Mom told me all about it and thinks these sneaky animals are pretty smart. I don't know about that, I told her they might have pulled the wool-over-her-eyes.

Wildlife workers have a coyote vocabulary. When we take walks in the neighborhood we often see coyotes. Mom said those are encounters, where one just pops up and might follow us. An incident is an unsafe situation where they do violence to a dog. The last is called an attack when a human is injured or killed by a coyote. Then she told me that a negative coyote/human interaction in suburban neighborhoods is preventable. Bamboozling, I thought!

I asked her to describe a coyote; brownish-gray, pointed ears, a slender muzzle like mine and a bushy tail. Males generally weigh 25- 45 lbs, females 22-35 lbs. This is the scary part, a coyote she says does not know the difference between a domestic animal and a wild one---they see both as a meal, or maybe a threat to their young or a possible mate. OK, I said, this is getting a little too personal to me. She had my attention. I am determined to not be a part of their prey-base. I weigh-in at 76 lbs so I may be excluded unless we encounter a pretty bold or hungry coyote.

They breed in February & March and are usually born in April and May with a litter size of 5-7 pups. They live in dens; culverts, steep banks, rock crevices, underbrush etc. and typically less than a mile from water. There job is to find food sources for their young. It seems in the U.S. coyotes are meeting their needs in our neighborhoods. There have been more and more attacks on humans and pets. Here on Colorado's Front Range pet attacks are the #1 conflict. In general they prey on rabbits, mice and birds as well as young deer and sheep. They are fond of trash, fruits, bird feed and insects.

Now for the scoop for pets ‘n their people; when walking keep dogs (especially small dogs) on a short leash, keep cats indoors, clear or trim cover in yards so they can't hide and don't leave your dogs outdoors for extended periods of time. The really big thing, don't feed wildlife. That means don't leave pet food or water outdoors or bird food. Makes sense to me; Mom said, "once fed they become even more challenging and insistent."

What else, I asked? We need to learn to coexist, she explained. We all live here, but they don't fear us like they once did. In other words they have adapted to our city surroundings; we need to instill fear in them again. She said low intensity hazing can scare them away; making loud noise like yelling, clapping, banging pots/pans, throwing rocks vs. high-powered hazing done by wildlife workers using paintballs and pepper balls. Lethal control is a last resort she said, where cities have hired guns to take out coyotes. Sounds dangerous, I said, "Is that really necessary?" A suburb of Denver, Greenwood Village, recently put a plan in place to do just that, she explained. It has created quite a raucous. The Division of Wildlife uses lethal control when human safety is an issue.

Upshot; urban coyotes are here to stay; the Division of Wildlife can help. Keep your local police department updated on sightings. Take home-message; learn to co-exist with coyotes. That requires an understanding of how coyotes survive and  how humans can shape coyote behavior. Don't feed wildlife.  

Stay in touch with me,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

It's all the bow-wow, this TV and digital ruse planned to take effect February 17, 2009. My dog-eared wisdom says it's another rip-off, set to hurt persons with flexible incomes (low-income, the elderly) and those who live in rural areas. My other issue, whoever concocted this switch had no "green plan." I told Mom; let's use the old TV until it doesn't work anymore. For me, it's reduce first, then reuse and recycle.

Here's the doo! You don‘t have to chuck your ole analog TV. Get a converter box. If you get a new "squawk box" (go energy efficient with an Energy Star product) and make sure you keep the old TV out of the landfill. There it leaks 4-8 pounds of lead into groundwater. Seventy percent of the heavy metals found in landfills include lead, mercury and other dangerous chemicals that come from electronic cast offs.

Mom and I had to get a computer fix recently; we took the opportunity to de-clutter. You know getting rid of old computers and monitors that were gathering dust. We took them to the local computer guy who fixes them up and gives them to a needy family or a school. Now how cool is that? Remind your pet parents, the landfill or even worse the sidewalk is not a solution. Oh, make sure the folks who say they are recycling are not dumping them overseas. That is not at all neighborly.

While my real life is anything but boring, Mom and I don't watch anywhere close to the typical 4-5 hours most people spend in front of TV every day. In case you wonder, as a dog I watch animal and planet earth programs.

As always stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Wow, am I excited. We have a new President; I look forward to a larger animal agenda, where animals everywhere can have greater protections. View the 100-items proposed by the Humane Society of the U.S. They give you an opportunity to bow wow your choices and become paw-litically involved. 

Keep your eyes on the girls, Malia and Sasha Obama. According to dad, they are ready to bring home a puppy this Spring. That news makes my tail wag. Don’t tell them but I plan to send a copy of Doggone Green, organic treats and a couple of Tuff™ balls.

Many presidential families have brought their dogs, and in some cases cats, along with them to the White House. Teddy Roosevelt had Sailor Boy, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever like me. Lincoln had a pig in the White House, a dog named Fido, rabbits, goats, turkeys and cats. Look over the other pets that have lived in the White House from George Washington to George Bush.

There are several books in the library you may want to check out.  I especially liked First Dogs: American Presidents & their Best Friends by Roy Rowan and Brooke Janis.

Stay in touch,

Cedar

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Say it ain't so, Sarah Palin! You've been telling us you are a champion of everyday citizens. However, I know you've left out the animals. It seems your record on animal cruelty is backwards and revolting. Americans abhor cruelty to animals and that makes you out of step with the mainstream.

The U.S. Humane Society's (HSUS) has one and only one criteria---where does a candidate for congress or president stand on animal protection policy. In other words this is an organization that cares about us, the animals. They based their information not on partisan politics and other social issues, but on treatment of the animals.

As a Doggone Green Crusader, I am exercised about this. You see if you, Governor Palin actually became second in command or president that would be a tragedy for animal issues and anything but a step forward. When our people vote they need to know your positions on animal welfare and conservation in Alaska.

As you might imagine the facts on Governor Palin have drawn huge reaction. Speaking as a pampered pooch, I think that is good, after all this is 2008 and it is way past time for things to change for us. These days it is about celebrating animals and meeting cruelty head-on. Neglect and abuse strikes not only cats, dogs and other companion animals, but also farm animals, horses, furbearers, animals in entertainment or research and wildlife.

Be aware Californians are voting on Proposition 2. This is about the treatment of animals raised for food. Prop 2 gives California voters (and others of us) an opportunity to think over some of today's most abusive factory farming practices.

"We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature." Rachel Carson, American Author and Marine Biologist

How cool is this, Olympian Michael Phelps kicking back and hanging out with Herman, his British Bull Dog. I sure dig it being a pampered pooch myself. You can see Herman here.

After several articles appeared on Herman and all the cash Michael stands to gain from endorsements, it seems folks got their tails out of joint over Herman. They said he is ugly. I say beauty is in the "eyes of the beholder." Personally, I have never seen an ugly dog but people; we might want to chat about that.

As you might expect, books, movie deals and dog-food makers are keen to grab hold of Michael and Herman. Now, I do not have cash to offer Herman but I think I have something better, joining me as a Doggone Green Crusader and saving the earth.

I want Herman to be on guard as regards a possible dog-food endorsement cause when "Big Herman" yaps, pets ‘n their people will pay attention. It is an attitude, if it's good enough for Herman, its good enough for me.

I'm a Chesapeake Bay retriever and bigger than Herman. I weigh 79 lbs.; British Bull Dogs tend to be 45 to 55 lbs. That means I consume more food daily. That's important when you consider quality because "we are what we eat." I always tell pets, "You can save hundreds of dollars on vet bills by spending a few extra bucks on high quality pet food and have a quality life? 

Use This Stuff for Bio-Fuels

As I said in Doggone Green, the pet food industry is dreadful. It's a place for slaughterhouse waste and by-products. It is no accident-recycled grease and fry oil is sprayed on pet food for taste. I say, use recycled grease for bio-fuel not in pet food.

Too many 2-leggeds expect us to not only eat the garbage they pay money for but also love it. Put your noggin' around this: if you begin with by-products (i.e. left-over animal parts after the meat is gone from the bones which could be anything rejected by the slaughterhouse and unfit for human consumption) how is it that you can make that "crap" flavorful, appealing and nutritious for dogs and cats? Not possible I say. If you don't start with first class ingredients, you sure aren't going to get a quality pet food. I say stick with human-grade ingredients, organic or free-range. If your pet parent won't eat it neither should you.

Cheap food is easy to find; grocery store isles, pet discount stores and even dollar stores. I say shop at your locally owned pet store because you are more likely to find a higher quality food. Don't assume canned food is any better than dry kibble.

There are no short cuts; become skilled at reading the labels. If pet food makers spent billions on the contents, dogs and cats would be a lot healthier and less obese. Instead, they squander it on packaging and advertising to make it sound healthy. Keep in mind we rely on you, our pet parents to decide what is best for us. We don't care how they wrap it or what they call it; we care that it is nutritious. You should too.

Dogs and cats thrive on high protein meals of meat and poultry. Think about it the way I do. If you knew the food you were eating was full of artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin), antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, by-products, dyes, flavorings and fillers, would you eat it? Learn to look for these items on the ingredient label. If you see them listed, buy a better food.

You need to know that by-products, digests and meals can be full of cancerous tissue cuts, plastic foam wrappings that may contain spoiled meat from stores, road kill, pieces of downer animals and grains considered unfit for our two-leggeds. I tell you this stuff is ugly.

My bud Eddie, with Pets for the Environment (located in Washington, DC) is on a mission for safer food and is "digging up" the facts. Read his pet food blog.

As for Herman, call me; we need to yap. Our times call for a country full of Doggone Green Crusaders. I need you and the planet needs you!

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Politics is still stinkin' up the air. It's time we had a talk about animal politics. Oh, I know; I can hear some of you now, crabby and yawning. Hang tight, I'll make it short.

First off, I srutted my book and Doggone Green Cape (my cape is really something to woof about) at Denver's Green Frontier Fest. We were the Green Print Denver kick-off event for the Democratic National Convention. Doggone Green was selected to participate because we are actively waggin' our tail to help create a sustainable future. Not only was I busy signing up Doggone Green Crusaders in every state but the Rocky Mountain News selected Doggone Green as the top eco-hip item at the event. 

In my book I said, "I have a hard time getting my noggin' around why it is so difficult to get laws passed that keep animals safe. Elected representatives must forget about us when they go to the Capitol. This is very sad to me in light of how we serve humans day in and day out."

Mom sees it differently, reminding me not to take it so personally. She says lawmakers are supposed to know what is going on, except they run out of time and cannot keep up with it all. She said, it is about priorities. Exactly, my point I barked back, which is why we need to bring issues front and center; its time they wake up. I say to neglect our concerns is paw-litical suicide.

As I see it, we need to do a couple of things: Know our issues and build grassroots "power packs." Lawmakers need to recognize that we talk to other "packs" and together we support candidates. Julie Lewin, of the National Institute for Animal Advocacy, (NIFAA), says, "Right now powerful interest groups are beating us." Okay I want to know who are the powerful interest groups against the animals.

According to Lewin, very few of us know our lawmakers' votes on animal issues and we are the ones who care most about humane treatment and laws? Now, that doesn't square very well with me. Don't most Americans back humane treatment of animals?

As far as I am concerned this is where the rubber meets the road; our furry four-pads need to beat a path to lawmakers' doors. OK then, our job is education and pack action.

I'll fetch some guests who are familiar with what we need to know and when; national and local groups who do the paw-itical work for the animals. Read my recent interview. Finally, I will check out where the contenders for Grand Poobah stand on animal issues.

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

I have been yapping at Mom and I think she's over me so I thought I'd blog. Getting my doggie noggin around this idea of sustainability is a big job for a dog.

First off, some news from Doggone Green headquarters. My moms got me that puppy I said I wanted after I finished my book. Ernie is his name. He is the cutest little guy. Don't tell him, but he is good for me; keeping me young and in top form.

Here's the thing, I watched him the other day and his puppy steps remind me of the Doggone Green Actions  I bark about in my book. Ernie's paws are huge. After all, he is a chessie like me. He's a little awkward as his 4-paws get in his way. He doesn't mind, he just plods along.

Sustainability is a lot like Ernie taking one puppy step-at-a-time. It's a huge job but it is not rocket-science. Andrea Robinson, the top dog of "green" for the ‘big party" here Aug. 25-Aug. 28, (that would be the Democratic National Convention) puts it this way, "Sustainability isn't that hard to do. It's taking maybe one more millisecond of thought about where you put something or what you use."

Well, there you go---thought and action, something we'd like the two-leggeds to value so together we can help save the earth.

I particiapted in the Colorado EarthWorks Expo in June. It was a zero waste event with 3,000 people attending; the Democratic National Convention  expects 50,000 guests, the Republican National Convention plan on 45,000 attendees. Both claim their conventions will be the greenest ever. When Mom read that I barked out, "that wouldn't be hard." I am smart enough to know if they are making a big deal about it in 2008; they haven't done much before now. This is a good place to give tail wags to Xcel Energy for anteing up the "green" to power both events with wind.

I put my paws together and bark out loud for Andrea Robinson.  Her goal for the 5-day event is to recycle, reuse or compost at least 85 percent of all trash generated during the democrat's bash. That means only 15% is sent to the landfill. Now that makes my tail wag.

How does she plan to do that you ask? Robinson gathered 900 green volunteers; I call them the "green pack" sorting trash for the event. I would volunteer but doubt they would want me. Mom calls me garbage mouth when I get into things I am not supposed to. Some claim the DNC's Robinson is way over the edge. Not me, this woman is on a mission and is a Doggone Green Crusader. I want her on my team any day.

The Republicans meet in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Sept. 1-Sept. 4. Mom tells me the green efforts of each gathering are light years apart. You can make up your own mind.

For me, sustainable is about wellness and a better quality life for our people, the animals and the earth. The big point is that we don't use up all of the earth's natural resources in the process. When we reduce our use of toxic chemicals, reduce pollution and at the same time care for and save natural resources we make the earth a safer place now and for future generations.

I talk in Doggone Green that before buying anything consider the product's lifecycle and determine how long it will last. Can you dispose of it without throwing it in the trash? Is their a more friendly alternative you can choose instead? If we do use it, will it distress the earth?                                        

So what is Zero-Waste. The end of all garbage, as we know it and our humans focused on redesigning products for reuse. Reused items go back into nature or the marketplace. Now, that's sustainable.

One last thing, I wonder if anyone attending either of these events will be bringing their dog. If so, please commit to memory---dog poop is an eco-concern. You walk your dog, pick up the poop using a biodegradable or compostable doo-bag, then flush the poop, minus the bag. Believe me; you have the EPA's blessing!   Let's see, what do we do with the bag? Look for the nearnest recycle bin.

Tail Wagggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

Look for me on August 24^th in Denver's Green Frontier Festival.

www.cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Cedar here

Mom and I have met loads of pet parents these last several weekends at events. I can say nearly everyone wants to do better for his or her pets and the environment. Their hurdle, they just do not know the dangers of dog and cat poop and kitty litter to the environment, the truth about the tons of ugly pet foods on the market and the growing problem of homeless animals. These harms dominated our yak. It was all good.

Of course, I was all the rage (the type I call short-lived fascination). I know I am stunning and being a chessie (Chesapeake Bay Retriever) I am usually highly regarded. Now that I am an author, I get even more notice. That brings people over to talk to me. At times, I got more attention than a dog would want. That is all right with me; it softens people, they smile a lot and several told me my booth was fun. It was a stopping off point to get some love from me and information from my moms.

I want to introduce you to my new bud in Washington, D.C. He's a dog on a mission like me! His name is Eddie and he set up Pets for the Environment. Eddie and I would like the same thing: pets ‘n their people to be well informed about safer products for all of us including the environment. That includes healthier pet food choices. Check out Eddie's woof on pet food and read about his recent "poo bag delivery" to the FDA. Help prop up his work; it will make a difference for all of us.

Don't forget to email me: Cedar@petsgonegreen.com

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar Dog

Cedar Dog here 

My favorite event is this weekend, EarthWorks 2008 Expo, June 21st and 22nd. This is a super-duper eco-extravaganza you won't want to miss. I sent my Mom last year and she came back with so many ideas we are still sorting them out. If you live in Colorado or anywhere in the West plan to attend. It is Denver's largest green-living event of 2008.

This is the really cool part, it is a Zero-Waste event. That means they will be recycling all of the materials back into nature or the marketplace, showing us how to be good stewards of the earth. The Expo's Top Dog, Michael Lindemann explains, "Recycling and composting ‘waste' reduces greenhouse gas emissions and the need for new landfills." Like I say in my book "the earth's health and our own are interconnected. That's why I wrote Doggone Green to show pets 'n their people just how easy it is to go green." 

Waste-Not Recycling of Loveland, Colorado (www.waste-not.com) is overseeing the management of resource conservation ensuring items normally sent to the landfill will be rescued and sent for recycling or composting. Most of the disposable products, such as compostable hot and cold cups, eating utensils and 100 percent recycled paper towels and toilet tissue, have been supplied by Eco-Products of Boulder, Colorado (www.ecoproducts.com). The items are free of inks, dyes and fragrances. 

This is the deal. Find a way to get your pets parents to attend. This is an event not to be overlooked. I have a link below for tickets. My dog buds will not be able to come as I had to get special permission to have a booth. You see Mom won't show up and talk about Doggone Green without me. Hooray for Mom!

Remember, there is power-in-paws. Given our numbers, 75 million dogs and 88 million cats in U.S. homes, just think of what we can do. That's a lot of pets! Count on us to help our humans resolve oddles of green issues. Pets the work begins with us. We can snoop open minds, one paw-step at a time. We'll send your people home with Doggone Green Actions for your "pack" to do, to share and to teach. Then take my Woof of Honor and join me as a Doggone Green Crusader.

Tail Waggin' Love,

Cedar                                                                                                                                                I  

Cedar@PetsGoneGreen.com                                                                                         

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Earth Works 2008 Expo