Pet dogs damaging the environment, claims book

[Guest guest]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/6416683/Pet-dogs-as-b\

ad-for-planet-as-driving-4x4s-book-claims.html

# Pet dogs as bad for planet as driving 4x4s, book claims Owners should

consider doing without, downsizing or even eating their pets to help save

the planet, according to a new book.

 

 

By Paul Stokes

Published: 7:35PM BST 23 Oct 2009

 

Bo Obama Photo: REUTERS

 

It claims that the carbon footprint left by domesticated animals is out of

proportion to the size of their paws.

 

A medium-sized dog has the same impact as a Toyota Land Cruiser driven 6,000

miles a year, while a cat is equivalent to a Volkswagen Golf.

 

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At the same time a pair of hamsters do the same damage as running a plasma

television, suggests the book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to

Sustainable Living.

 

New Zealand-based authors Robert and Brenda Vale base their findings on the

amount of land needed to grow food for pets ranging from budgerigars to cats

and dogs.

 

They say an average Collie eats 164kg of meat and 95kg of cereals a year,

giving it a high impact on the planet.

 

But a pair of rabbits can produce 36 young annually, which would provide

72kg of meat and help decrease the owner's carbon footprint.

 

Mr Vale, an architect who specialises in sustainable living, said: " There

are no recipes in the book. We're not actually saying it is time to eat the

dog.

 

" We're just saying that we need to think about and know the (ecological)

impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted. "

 

He explained that sustainability issues require us to make choices which are

" as difficult as eating your dog " .

 

Mr Vale added: " Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance

of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two

cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat-eater yourself. "

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Shub, I am so glad u posted this one...saved me the trouble! But I was too

upset when I read this in New Scientist the other day, as they used German

Sheppard as the example, saying that my Krypto has a carbon ³paw print²

equal to 2 Toyota SUVs running full speed for 10,000 Kilometres. What a load

of dog poop! There are an ever increasing number of pseudo scientific

authors doing anything to cash in on the climate change frenzy, including

using stupid titles like ³Time to Eat the Dog.² Robert and Brenda Vale are

just two examples.

 

It¹s all part of the concentrated effort to blame environmental ruin on you,

your dog, and your hamster. This distracts us all from the burning of the

rainforest and other massive corporate destructions taking place. The real

thieves of the planet are roaming free, while dogs and hamsters are now

under suspicion and soon to be indicted.

 

I have not read the book (and it may contains valuable insight), but

sensationalism at this height and at the expense of innocent animals is

unacceptable and should not be condoned. Perhaps if the authors had titled

the work ³Time to Eat Your Slaughter House Owners,² I might be

interested...but then again, that title would never make it to the NYT

Bestsellers list...

 

Jigs in Nepal

 

Ps.If anyone does read this work, please let us know if Prince Charles is

blamed there for raising carbon levels, as he does have a lot of pet frogs:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:22:26 +0530

AAPN List <aapn >

Pet dogs damaging the environment, claims book

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/6416683/Pet-dogs-

as-bad-for-planet-as-driving-4x4s-book-claims.html

# Pet dogs as bad for planet as driving 4x4s, book claims Owners should

consider doing without, downsizing or even eating their pets to help save

the planet, according to a new book.

 

By Paul Stokes

Published: 7:35PM BST 23 Oct 2009

 

Bo Obama Photo: REUTERS

 

It claims that the carbon footprint left by domesticated animals is out of

proportion to the size of their paws.

 

A medium-sized dog has the same impact as a Toyota Land Cruiser driven 6,000

miles a year, while a cat is equivalent to a Volkswagen Golf.

 

Related Articles

 

- Anti-fouling campaign features toddler eating dog

mess<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5812486/Anti-fo

uling-campaign-features-toddler-eating-dog-mess.html>

- Peta under fire over claim that it kills most animals left at its US

headquarters<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/51066

00/Peta-under-fire-over-claim-that-it-kills-most-animals-left-at-its-US-head

quarters.html>

- Pet Subjects: when dogs wake up, mother cats and prescription

charges<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/4175725/Pet-Subjects-when-dogs-wak

e-up-mother-cats-and-prescription-charges.html>

- Fury as Denmark proposes cull of mongrel But rabbits and chickens are

eco-friendly because they provide meat for their owners while a canary or a

goldfish has little effect on the environment.

 

At the same time a pair of hamsters do the same damage as running a plasma

television, suggests the book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to

Sustainable Living.

 

New Zealand-based authors Robert and Brenda Vale base their findings on the

amount of land needed to grow food for pets ranging from budgerigars to cats

and dogs.

 

They say an average Collie eats 164kg of meat and 95kg of cereals a year,

giving it a high impact on the planet.

 

But a pair of rabbits can produce 36 young annually, which would provide

72kg of meat and help decrease the owner's carbon footprint.

 

Mr Vale, an architect who specialises in sustainable living, said: " There

are no recipes in the book. We're not actually saying it is time to eat the

dog.

 

" We're just saying that we need to think about and know the (ecological)

impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted. "

 

He explained that sustainability issues require us to make choices which are

" as difficult as eating your dog " .

 

Mr Vale added: " Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance

of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two

cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat-eater yourself. "