Dog Bicycle Trailers

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If you have a dog bicycle trailer, you have a safe, earth-friendly way to take your dog from place to place.  Some destinations are just to far to walk, and a dog bicycle trailer will get you both there without forcing you to be dependent on a car.  This is pretty important to those of us who are trying to lessen our petroleum usage and take care of the planet.

There are some things you’ll want to keep in mind when shopping for a dog bicycle trailer.  Will your dog tolerate it first of all?  My dog loves riding behind me in her trailer.  She loves the feel of the wind in her hair as much as I do, but I know other dog owners who haven’t had the same experience.  I have one friend who’s dog spends the entire trip trying to dig his way out of the bottom of the trailer.  If your dog doesn’t like the ride you may be able to accustom him to his new transport in time, but it’s still a useful thing to know before you buy.  Consider renting or borrowing a used trailer initially.  You can give your dog a trial run and then you’ll both know what to expect.

Size is another important consideration.  If you think you’ll be using your trailer a lot, choose one that’s extra roomy so your dog will be comfortable.  Not only does this give Fido a little extra leg room, it also gives you some extra space for hauling things if you intend to use you dog bicycle trailer for other errands.  These trailers are versatile.  I use mine to haul groceries and to go to the laundry.  There are plenty of dog bicycle trailers that have an extra cargo rack on top too.  This gives you the option of hauling your dog and picking up carry out at the same time, an indispensable feature for anyone who is car free.

Finally, I would choose a trailer that lets Fido stick his head out the top.  The ride will be more fun for your dog if she can see what’s going on.  If you have some worry that your pup will try to jump out make sure you choose a dog bicycle trailer with a d-ring inside.  Put your dog in a chest harness and attach him to the d-ring.  Now she’s not going anywhere.

These trailers are useful as well as a lot of fun and they’re a big improvement over the bicycle basket or a backpack, wither one of which will throw off your center of gravity and make your ride less pleasant and possibly unsafe.  Besides your dog can’t ride in a backpack now can she?. 

Best Hemp Dog Collar

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We’re all a little more Earth conscious these days.  It feels good to choose products that are sustainable, biodegradable, and best of all healthy and chemical free.  When you’re buying green, don’t forget about Fido.  A hemp dog collar is the must have accessory right now for the stylish dog about town. 

Sadly, hemp gets a bad rap in some circles.  There really is nothing illicit about this fiber.  Think of it as the druggie equivalent of non-alcoholic beer.  You can safely walk your hemp clad dog without attracting the attention of any of your drug crazed, neighborhood teenagers.  This stuff is, however, a major manufacturing miracle.  Hemp makes a strong durable fabric.  It’s  hypoallergenic, sustainable, all-natural, and it’s not going to end up clogging the landfill for several hundred thousand years when it wears out.  If it wears out.  Did I mention that hemp is durable?  Our founding fathers used hemp paper when they printed The Constitution, and The Declaration Of Independence, and those are holding up pretty well.  Just goes to show.

There are three very environmentally responsible manufacturers of pet products out there today.  Somewhere amongst their vast selection of hemp collars and other hemp products you should be able to find the perfect match for your best friend.

The Good Dog Company has been making pet products out of hemp and other natural fibers since 2003.  They have a good selection  of hemp dog collars, all manufactured in America by a local work force.  Their manufacturing process is focused on reduction and recycling. 

Planet Dog has been in the pet product business since 1997.  They pride themselves on values-based design, and a percentage of every purchase is donated to service dog programs.  Of course they sell the coveted hemp dog collar.

Earth Dog is 12 years old and still going strong.  They create eco-conscious products for dogs and the people who love them.  They have not just collars, but an entire line of hemp products.

You can’t go wrong with any one of these three.  All of them proudly manufacture sustainable, Earth friendly products, and that’s important, but what really shines through is dog love.  These people love their dogs, and that makes me feel good about buying their products for mine.   So while you’re shopping for your first hemp dog collar why not take a look at some of the other offerings.  Your best buddy deserves the best stuff right?

Dog Food Allergies

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Dog food allergies are one of the top causes of allergy symptoms in dogs. If your dog is licking and biting and scratching and gnawing on his paws or the base of his tail the culprit could be dog food allergies. This is the third most common reason for allergy symptoms in pets. With flea allergies being first and environmental allergies second. Other symptoms of dog food allergies include gastrointestinal disorders. Does your dog vomit frequently, or is he gassy? Again, a dog food allergy could be the problem. Unbeknownst to many pet owners, chronic ear infections are sometimes caused by this type of allergy too.

Some dog owners will discount the notion that their pet is allergic to his food simply because they've fed the same brand for years, but consistency is no guarantee. It's entirely possible for your dog to develop an allergy to the same food he's eaten all his life. In fact it's common for dog's to develop symptoms seemingly overnight, even if it's his favorite dog food.

Your vet can do skin tests to find out what allergens are causing Fido's problems, but in all likelihood your vet will ask if you've done an elimination diet when you show up for the appointment. An elimination diet is easy to do. You simply change your pet's diet to eliminate the ingredients that he's accustomed to eating. It sounds harder than it is. There are a number of hypoallergenic or organic dog foods that are specifically formulated to include only proteins and starches that are not commonly found in your average off the shelf dog food.

The most common dog food allergens are beef, chicken and dairy or wheat, corn, and soy. Look for hypoallergenic dog foods that don't include those ingredients.

Acana dog food is completely grain free.  Lamb, fish and eggs are the proteins in this product, and instead of corn, wheat or rice Acana uses sweet potato, peas, and other fresh vegetables to give you dog some healthy carbs.

Blue Buffalo also makes a hypoallergenic dog food from fish and sweet potato.  My dog loves this food, it's got no fillers, and Blue Buffalo adds vitimins and omega 3 acids.

Nature's Variety has a dog food formulated with duck, turkey, salmon, and herring. 

  If your dog's allergy symptoms clear up on this diet then you know that his food was indeed the problem.  You can begin to add other ingredients back into the dog's diet.  Add one item at a time, and include that item in your dog's diet for a few weeks before you determine that it's a safe ingredient.  If at any time your dog's allergy symptoms come back you will know which food is the allergen  It requires a little bit of planning and dedication to feed your dog an elimination diet, but a quality hypoallergenic food like one of those listed above makes the task somewhat easier..

Decifering Your Pet Food Label

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The right diet can make all the difference in the world for your pet, but selecting the right pet food can be difficult.  Advertisers would have us believe that those bags are full of nutritious, vitamin packed ingredients.  A lot of the labeling terms are deceiving.  Sometimes they don't adequately describe the material used.  Other times they're just indecipherable terms.  You might be shocked to know what some of those innocuous sounding terms are hiding.

Following are some interpretations of the ingredient terms you might see on the back of your pet food bag.

Meat by-products  This includes all of the offal determined not fit for human consumption.  In other words organs like the liver, kidneys, spleen, or intestines.  It is permitted to use diseased organs in this category.


Poultry by-products  This is the same thing, feet, heads organs all go into your pet's food.

Poultry by-product This is the same as above except that it is ground.  Keep in mind that although "clean" meats are supposed to be used for these ingredients.  Some contamination with feathers or fecal matter is considered unavoidable, so small amounts of these are permitted.

Animal Blood  Animal blood is dried and considered an acceptable source of protein

Hydrolized Hair  Really, the hair is cleaned and treated with heat to make it an acceptable ingredient in commercial pet food.

Other sources of protein often used are dehydrated food waste and dehydrated paunch.  This list could go on, but I suspect you get the idea.  Just keep in mind that if you find the term meat by-product on your pet food label your dog is really getting the waste materials collected during the slaughterhouse process.  This stuff is deemed not fit for human consumption, yet the Association For American Feed Control Officials have no problem approving the stuff for Fido's food.  Again this is about profit.  If they can make money from the junk, the refuse then they absolutely will.

These ingredients make up a percentage of the dry weight, but the main ingredient is generally some kind of grain.  Corn is used most of the time.  Corn bran, corn flower, corn gluten:  again these components are often the by-product of some other food industry process.  Usually the milling process.

Wheat comes in a close second place on labels. So really, if your dog is eating a commercial brand pet food he is subsisting on a diet high in grains and low in protein.  A dog's digestive system doesn't adequately utilize grains or carbohydrates in general.  This just is not an ideal diet for an animal who is naturally a carnivore.  It's entirely possible that your dog is malnourished if he has this kind of diet.


You'll be amazed by the improvements you see when your dog's diet is optimized.  Expect a shinier, healthier coat.  If your dog has a strong unpleasant "dog" odor you'll probably see improvement there as well.  Muscle tone can improve, and many allergies and skin irritations are the result of poor nutrition. 

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