One evening, while in Miami for vacation, I met up with an old friend I know through pet rescue work.
It was great spending time with this friend, especially since she radiates joy!
While catching up, we inevitably stumbled upon the subject of pets.
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| Yes it looks pretty but so does non-chemically-treated grass |
My friend mentioned that her family had lost their 3 dogs, all to cancer, within months of each other a few years back. -Clearly this was a devastating blow.
"Were you feeding them high-quality food?" I asked. "I must admit, I was giving my dogs 'ok-dog-food' and never had put much thought into what they were eating... until I lost them both to cancer within a year of each other. -My collie mix passed away at age 8, and my shepherd mix at age 9," I added.
'Yes, we fed our dogs high quality food, Nature's Recipe Grain Free is what we had always given them.'
She added, 'I did some research after they died and narrowed it down to what we were using on our lawns. I read a lot, and we think that could've been it,' my friend shared.
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| Jess's bulldog, Blue, R.I.P. |
I emphatically agreed.
As an environmentalist and hater of all-things-Roundup, why hadn't I ever thought of this?!
It's such a disturbingly obvious connection... dogs spend time outdoors, and oftentimes directly on the grass, unlike humans.
They roll in the grass, their little paw pads touch the grass; sometimes they even eat the grass. -And they lick their paws after being on the grass!
It's such a disturbingly obvious connection... dogs spend time outdoors, and oftentimes directly on the grass, unlike humans.
They roll in the grass, their little paw pads touch the grass; sometimes they even eat the grass. -And they lick their paws after being on the grass!
And just because you're not using toxic ingredients on your lawn does not mean your pets are unaffected- you walk your dogs right?
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| Jess's other dogs that succumbed to cancer, Bella and Sarge, R.I.P. |
Here in Ky.~ springtime's in full in bloom
Last week I had a dog walk scheduled with a long-time family friend's dog. This particular family lives in a beautiful, prestigious neighborhood, one with sprawling green lawns, dozens of mature, blossoming dogwoods, spotted with towering oaks, maples and evergreens.
But as I walked Stella (we'll call her), I couldn't help but get a whiff of chemicals... of the lawn-care-variety. And I couldn't help but notice those little flags in a couple yards saying "RECENTLY TREATED. KEEP OFF LAWN UNTIL FULLY DRY. KEEP PETS OFF GRASS"
Dogs don't read so my buddy, Stella, a senior dog, walked on several lawns (none that were wet with chemicals of course). This made me instantly recall the conversation I'd had a week earlier with my rescue friend.
Upon returning to Stella's home I wet a paper towel with soap and water and wiped off her paws.
This will be a new ritual of mine post-walks during spring, summer and fall.
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| Plants can look so pretty with just the 'natural' lawn care agents |
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Post revised on 01/30/24, didn't check links due to time restraint, sorry!
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