A Green Dog Christmas!

Here are a few quick tips for helping your pup reduce their carbon pawprint:

• Make your pup a fabulous homemade Christmas stocking, from recycled items around your home.
• Wrap your 'best friend's' gifts with reused and reusable materials, like paper sacks, and cut outs from old Christmas cards. Save what's left over and use again next year!
• Purchase your tree from a tree farm and help save forests and unnecessary cutting, and recycle it after the holidays. Or consider getting a live tree and then plant it in your yard after use.
• Make your own Christmas ornaments from recycled materials, string some popcorn and berries, add a solar powered wreath to your front door, use solar holiday lights for your outdoor decorating and purchase low energy LED lights to conserve.
• Send your pup pals an e-card, rather than purchasing cards. Or make your own with items and photos of your pup.
• Shop online and conserve energy.
• Donate to your local shelter or rescue group and give back this holiday season.
• Keep your dog from unnecessarily killing wildlife while enjoying the outdoors.
• Purchase gifts for your pup made with organic or recycled materials.
• Feed and give your pup foods and treats that have organic or all natural ingredients for a longer, healthier life.
• When getting ready for the holidays, use cleaning and other household products that are good for the environment and safe for you and your dog.
• Buy gifts made closer to home, and help lower the energy costs of shipping goods.
• Use environmentally friendly deicers on your drive and sidewalks - good for your pets and the environment.
• Buy sustainable and durable products that don't have to be replaced so often.
• Spend quality time with your pup teaching them tricks, like turning off the light when they leave the room, and putting items in the recycle bin.
• Install a Doggie Dooley and recycle that pet waste, and when on the road use biodegradable poo bags when cleaning up the doo.
• Buy products for your pup made out of all natural materials, like hemp dog collars and organic cotton clothing.
• Spend some time making some of your pups toys and goods - take an afternoon and turn those old socks or towels into a great tugging toy, or old blankets into bedding, or leftover material for a great dog bed!
• Cook for your pup, for a healthier dog and a healthier environment.

Be sure and visit my website - RaiseAGreenDog.com - where you can shop for all kinds of eco-friendly, recycled, organic and sustainable fabric cool stuff for dogs this holiday season!

Find dog beds, organic foods and treats, collars, leashes, charms, training and agility gear, vitamins and supplements, books, clothing, toys and more - all green!

And the best part is we donate 10% of our profits to dog rescues and shelters!

A Rescue Dog's Christmas Poem

Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost, but not found,

Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care,

They'll come to adopt us and give us the call,
"Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!

But now we sit here and think of the days...
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways,

Once we were little, then we grew and we grew
now we're no longer young and we're no longer new.

So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?

We "jump on the children:, "don't come when they call",
we "bark when they leave us", climb over the wall.

We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.

If only they'd trained us, if only we knew...
we'd have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.

We were left in the backyard, or worse -let to roam-
now we're tired and lonely and out of a home.

They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye...
"Maybe someone else will give you a try."

So now here we are, all confused and alone...
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can't stay to chat,

They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer...
we know that they wonder how long we'll be here.

We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads...
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.

Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears -
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.

If you can't adopt us and there's no room at the Inn -
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?

We count on your kindness each day of the year -
can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat...
and help get us something special to eat.

The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.