In this article, I share simple and realistic ways to be a more eco-friendly dog owner, based on my own experience. These practical tips focus on what actually works in everyday life—from dog food and waste to toys and grooming.
For a while, I had been thinking about how to become a more eco-friendly dog owner. Eventually, I stopped procrastinating and took a closer look at how sustainable we really are as pet owners—and where we could do better.
As I mentioned in my blog post about ways to save energy at home, even something like an insulated pet door can make a difference. But beyond that, what else can we do?
Quick summary: eco-friendly dog care
- Choose adoption and responsible pet care
- Opt for more sustainable dog food
- Use biodegradable waste bags
- Choose eco-friendly toys and materials
- Use sustainable grooming products
- Reuse and donate pet items
- Choose durable, long-lasting products
Adopting and spaying
These are two practices often mentioned in discussions about eco-friendly dog care. Our little Fleur, pictured above as a few months old, was not adopted from a shelter. However, I did first explore whether any French Bulldogs were available for adoption locally.
I grew up without a dog, but as a student I did some dog-sitting, and the first dog I ever cared for was a Frenchie. When I had to part with this beautiful French bulldog, Balanchine, I was heartbroken. I promised myself that one day, when I settled down, I would have a Frenchie of my own.
If I were to get a new pet today, adopting from a shelter would be much more of a priority.
As mentioned by Kristine Lacoste, spaying and neutering are important for preventing unwanted litters and reducing overpopulation. We did spay Fleur—although I have to admit, not for environmental reasons. At the time, we were concerned about the risk of mammary tumors, which are more common in dogs that have not been spayed.
Sustainable dog food
Wendy from Moral Fibres writes that “producing meat for pet food consumes vast amounts of land, water, and resources, and cattle production is the most polluting and environmentally draining of them all. Lamb is a close second.” With this in mind, I decided to stop buying dog food containing beef—or lamb. These are small resolutions, but part of my broader effort to become a more eco-friendly dog owner.
Another change I made was to buy organic dog food whenever possible, and to choose locally produced options or buy in bulk to reduce packaging. More and more brands now offer sustainable pet food packaging, something also highlighted by Mondi, one of the leading packaging groups.
In a limited way, I have also given Fleur some of our leftovers, as a way to reduce food waste. She has been perfectly happy with this and has shown no health issues. At ten years old, she is still in good shape—pictured below with my five-year-old son, Max.
Eco-Friendly Dog Care: dog waste
For cleaning up after Fleur, I decided to use only biodegradable bags. This is also recommended by Dawn Gifford from Small Footprint Family. Previously, we used the bags that were freely available in Geneva and in France, provided by the municipalities.
Out of curiosity, I checked whether these bags were actually biodegradable. As I had suspected, they were not. They carried the label HDPE 2, which stands for High-Density Polyethylene—essentially, plastic.
After learning this, I started looking for alternatives and eventually chose biodegradable poop bags, such as the TOPSEAS biodegradable poop bags below.
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Nathalie Sanderson suggests even going a step further and to “consider using a pooper scooper rake to transfer the mess to the trash.” She also suggests looking into composting dog waste.
Eco-friendly toys, collars, and leashes
We had started to think more carefully about eco-friendly materials when it came to toys. For Fleur’s tenth birthday, we bought a lovely textile toy—yet 30 minutes later, it was already in pieces. Being a bulldog, Fleur is tenacious and has very strong teeth.
Rope toys, however, work well for her and tend to be a more sustainable option. For instance, Goodchaps has many eco-friendly options, including rope toys made from unbleached cotton.
When it comes to buying toys or collars, another eco-friendly choice is to buy things made from hemp. As The Thoughtful Pup writes hemp is a particularly sustainable material: it grows quickly, requires very little water, needs no harmful chemicals, and even returns nutrients to the soil. Choosing hemp-based toys, such as pull ropes, can be a good alternative to rubber products. Recycled leather leashes may also be an interesting option.
This Christmas, we hesitated between offering Fleur a beautiful hemp collar or this toy made from recycled, biodegradable materials. In the end, we decided for the latter, also here on the photo.
The simplest way, however, is to make a toy for your pet, as Nathalie Sanderson suggests. For instance, here is a chew toy I made for Fleur by stuffing a sock with a plastic bottle —she loved it:
Eco-friendly pet bowls
Another area to consider when aiming to be a more eco-friendly dog owner is choosing more sustainable pet bowls. One company that offers eco-friendly bowls, as well as pet food, bags, and accessories, is Becopets. For instance, the bamboo bowls—like the one shown in the featured photo—can be a simple, more sustainable option for your pet.
This is another gift that little Fleur receives from Santa this year.
Eco-friendly pet care: sustainable grooming products
The Project Blue highlights that many conventional grooming products—such as shampoos and conditioners—can contain harmful chemicals that may irritate your dog’s skin and negatively impact local waterways. They recommend choosing biodegradable, paraben-free formulations made with natural or organic ingredients whenever possible.
Living in France, I have been using Biogance shampoo. It is paraben-free, made with 98% natural ingredients, and produced locally. I recently noticed that they also offer organic options, and I plan to choose those next time.
Donate and receive donations
When buying new items for your pet, it is worth considering what can be passed on. As highlighted in the blog post How to be an eco-friendly pet owner, donating unused pet items can make a real difference—whether to local shelters or to other pet owners in your community. I decided to try this with items that Fleur no longer needs.
At the same time, I have also accepted donations. For instance, a former neighbour gave Fleur a beautiful bed that she has loved and used for several years.
So what else can we do to become more eco-friendly dog owners?
Nice dog😊
Thank you Viive for your nice comment!
👍👍👍😊
Thanks!
Dear Nika, your post is very helpful and I will look at the food for our cat to be without beef and lamb in the future. I tried once to buy vegetarian food for our dog, who is not with us anymore, but she didn’t like it. Vegetarian cat food is extreeeeemly expensive for now and I haven’t even bought it to see whether our cat would fancy it or not. But maybe some time I should at least try and see if our cat would eat it. Changes take place, when consumers change their habits and the more we change our consumer habits and buy responsibly, the more prices will go down too. Take much care.
Dear Maya,
Thank you for your message and sharing your feedback! I have not given to Fleur also vegetarian crockets, only some vegetables sometimes and these she likes to eat. And I agree with you about us as consumers having power!