Posted on 10/22/2009 3:32:05 PM PDT by Brandonmark
Linda Finlay will not be giving up her dogs any time soon – despite a call from researchers to swap dogs and cats for pets they can eat, like rabbits or chickens.
A longtime dog lover and dog training club member, Mrs Findlay couldn't imagine a life without Thomas, Zarah and Zoe – even if the Bernese Mountain Dog crosses and Alsatian labrador cross do have a carbon pawprint bigger than a Land Cruiser.
"They're like part of the family," Mrs Findlay said.
Victoria University professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who specialise in sustainable living, have recommended pet owners consider what impact their animals have on the environment in their book Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living.
The couple assessed the carbon emissions created by popular pets, taking into account the ingredients of pet food and the land needed to create them.
In a study published in New Scientist, they calculated a medium dog eats 164 kilograms of meat and 95kg of cereals every year. It takes 43.3 square metres of land to produce 1kg of chicken a year. This means it takes 0.84 hectares to feed the dog.
They compared this with the footprint of a Toyota Land Cruiser, driven 10,000km a year, which uses 55.1 gigajoules (the energy used to build and fuel it). One hectare of land can produce 135 gigajoules a year, which means the vehicle's eco-footprint is 0.41ha – less than half of dog's.
They found cats have an eco-footprint of 0.15ha – slightly less than a Volkswagen Golf. Hamsters have a footprint of 0.014ha – keeping two of them is equivalent to owning a plasma TV.
But the researchers did not factor in the emotional value of the pets, Mrs Findlay said.
Mrs Findlay said she and partner Phil Burton never intended to have three large dogs. "When you have got dogs ... you don't just get rid of them. They are friends."
As far as the environment went, Mrs Findlay said she tried to do her bit to preserve it, and to minimise the dogs' impact on it. Thomas, Zarah and Zoe are mainly fed dog biscuits and only get meat occasionally.
"What the dogs give back to me is probably equal to what the environment gives me – but probably on a more emotional level."
And as for swapping pets, she already has a cat, two budgies, one horse, six sheep, chickens and a huge bullock steer
I am afraid it is not a joke in the funny sense!
Self-ping.
Dog and cat owners should pay $50 per pound per year to off set their carbon footprint.
Yeah and the same for people with fish tanks.
Fava beans. Do I have any fava beans at home? Must check. The red wine side of the cellar’s in good shape. I’m going to have to look to the whites here pretty soon. I’m down to a single bottle of Far Niente chardonnay that I’m saving for a special occasion.
No true patriot would leave his wine cellar unguarded in times like these!
Yeah, save a mouse, eat a..um ah, well the rest ain’t family safe.
Hmmm...seems like we are gonna find out what vegetarians, animal rights activists, democrats, mao-ists, ACORN employees, United Nations employees, RINOS, and many other various america haters taste like real soon.
I’m not going to starve when they destroy my country.
There’s plenty of food walking around.
I think Europe got rid of cats once before.
Plague was the result.
What gets me is how many liberals are soooooo strongly attached to their pets and go ballistic over any stories of animal abuse...but abortion’s A-OK.
You could explain to your guests that seal hunters are really just noble eco-warriors.
From the people who brought you mandated compact fluorescent bulbs, ethanol as fuel, condemnation of the flush toilet, the banning of DDT, and so much more feel-good, useless, emotional, irrational, or outright destructive stuff, now they tell us we are supposed to make meals of our friends in fur.
Not a chance. I would starve first.
Wait til the pit bulls hear about this. These researchers better watch their backs when they go out jogging!
..What species IS permitted to survive, according to the econazis?..
Their closest relatives....the cockroach!
Well there you go. Now you make me want to go out and club a bunch of baby seals. Well, darn - the Arctic Circle’s a little too far away.
You wouldn't do the environmentalists first?
“pets you can eat”
This is like the scene in “Twister.” Who ARE these people?
As a husband, I'm against that butchering thing, but I won't give up my dogs, either.
Maybe we should butcher the folks who don't like pets? As a friend of mine once said: “Humans are no damn good, but parts of them are edible.”
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