My Dogs, the Heroes

That's right; we've recruited two more furry followers to our own personal green movement here in our house. Sam and Thorn, the dogs.

When I was younger, my grandmother would always tell me stories about a dog they had, Mutley. He got much bigger than they expected, so the family wound up adopting him to a farmer so Mutley could have room to be his big ol' self. When the farmer came to pick him up, he was amazed at how healthy and shiny Mutley's coat was (for those of you that don't know, a healthy coat is also a pretty sure sign of a healthy dog). He asked Gram what she was doing to keep Mutley in such good shape - not much, Gram told him, just table scraps, eggs, left over spaghetti, whatever.

What are the two things you can't put in your compost pile, but are readily and frequently used in the kitchen (for nonvegetarians and nonvegans, that is)? Meat and dairy. So these things get thrown out, using a plastic garbage bag, and sit in the dump, never really breaking down. In an anthropology class in college, we read about scientists who basically dig up trash to see how our society has changed over the decades. Ever heard of the tale that twinkies last forever? Well, these guys pulled out a pack of hot dogs from 20 (if not more) years ago - they looked like they had just been at the bottom of a grocery bag from a recent shopping trip. No deterioration, at all. Maybe a little squished, but otherwise in pristine condition.

So, in come Sam and Thorn. No meat, cheese, eggs, etc goes to waste in our house. Whatever is left over from our dinner - which is usually not much, since I grew up with the "there are starving kids in China" line being fed to me constantly - we give to Sam and Thorn. I know, it might sound like our dogs are beyond obese. But they aren't - we don't give them 56 eggs at breakfast time - we just let them lick our plates. We don't give them steak scraps, we eat venison (which is fantastic for sensitive dogs' stomachs), so our pups get NIBBLES of that. The other week we bought bacon that wasn't exactly to our liking - the solution? We cooked it until it was super crispy, broke it into small pieces, and use it for training treats (and they sit, lay down, jump, and stay MUCH more willingly when real bacon is involved). Oh, and training treats are about the size of your fingernail, so not only is this bacon yummy, but it is going to go a long way.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are many dogs that need to be on special diets, so PLEASE don't just take my advice without talking to your vet first. Sammy is a hound and can eat plastic (seriously) without it hurting him. But Thorn is much different, we are careful with what we throw in front of him - more venison, less bacon, for example. I'm just saying, don't knock table scraps 'til you try 'em.

So, my dogs are doing their part. We recycle, reuse, and compost what we can, but we are not vegans, so meat and dairy are here to stay. And Sam and Thorn are right there under the table, waiting to save the Earth in a very delicious and tasty way.