I am the proud owner of 2 chocolate Labradors and along with my own well-being, their lifestyle rates very highly on my eco-conscious scale.  Now I am not partial to dressing dogs up in dresses or little hats, that’s just a personal choice, plus my big boy Lab would totally not appreciate it!!  But when it comes to their health and happiness, I go all out with natural products including shampoo, food, toys and blankets.

So lets start from the beginning, when my 4 year old Labs were mere chocolate chips (pups) I investigated different natural shampoos for them, as puppies tend to get as muddy and dirty as they can, I wanted a mild yet effective cleanser.  I came across a few companies:

I first used Bio-Groom puppy shampoo because it was available to me locally, it smelled wonderful and did not strip the natural oils from their coats, they need their oils because they are very avid swimmers.

Olive Organic

Olive Green Dog is a newer company (4 years old) which uses organic ingredients in all its products.  A wonderful company I recommend as their philosophy is to provide products that support…. not burden the eco-system.

Another to try is Earth Bath Totally Natural Pet Care.

With regards to my dogs comfort, personally I always buy blankets for my dogs from thrift shops/jumble sales whose donations and proceeds go to help the needy, instead of what I believe to be very overpriced jumbo cushions from pet stores…… giving back feels so good.

As for toys, there is one great company that supplies organic dog toys, Simply Fido‘s hemp toys are wonderful, maybe even too nice for the dogs to slobber on!

Onto my dogs’ favorite…EATING!  There are numerous companies springing up in recent times with organic pet food which does cost a little more, but for piece of mind I think it is worth it.

A good example is Karma Organic Food for Dogs.  Their manufacturing standards along with their sustainability values protects the environment and sets the benchmark for holistic dog food.

My dogs are happy, shiny, fun loving pups and I feel wonderful giving them the best natural life possible.  The wag of their tails everyday tells me just how great they feel.

Wendy Chambers & pups

Wendy Chambers lives in Golden, British Columbia, Canada.  She is a self-proclaimed, full-fledged eco chick striving to provide an organic and sustainable life for her family.  Wendy recycles, upcycles old furniture, uses environmentally friendly products, and eats mainly organic homegrown veggies from her own garden and eggs from her hens. She has spent the last 15 years learning and living a greener lifestyle and hopes to share her findings by creating a local green business directory.