- Blewett the black lab needed rescuing from snowy Blewett Pass in Washington just 2 months ago , but he did the rescuing this month when he found another black lab by a river that needed rescuing. He even stayed with the other dog while rescuers repelled down a steep bank to the river. What a sweet dog!
- In Oregon, two little dogs–a Border Terrier & a Chihuahua–ran off a very large cougar. The dogs will likely have a human escort now when they go out in the evenings.
- Southwest Airlines is allowing pets on flights again after a longtime ban. Starting with flights on June 17th, you can bring your cat or small dog in the cabin. It will cost you $75. Pets still won’t be allowed in the cargo hold.
Friday Fun: Cat + Theremin
Love this cat’s expression and especially the cat’s at the end of the video in the lower right. Trust the Japanese to give a cat a Theremin. You can learn everything about Theremins at ThereminWorld.
Nutro Recalls Cat Food, Finally
Sadly, this Nutro recall was a long time coming—complaints against Nutro actually started 2 yrs. ago. The FDA announced Nutro is recalling 7 different flavors of dry cat food in all sizes. Tests show “incorrect levels” of zinc and potasium. Check the list of the recalled food. And the FDA now has photos of the packaging to make it easier to identify affected varieties.
Complaints have included dog food and I wonder if more Nutro recalls are on the way.
More Poop Talk—Doggie Dooley & Staywell Pet Waste Disposal Systems
Waste digesters are a pretty environmentally friendly way to dispose of dog waste. No plastic bags of poop filling up the landfills! Waste digesters rely on enzymes and moisture to break down the poop, then the biodegraded waste is absorbed by the soil the same way a septic tank works. Environmental impact is small. You will need to add enough water to keep the digester from drying out and, due to anaerobic activity, waste digesters may emit small amounts of carbon dioxide and methane. (It should be minimal, unless you have a humongous herd of Great Danes.)
Don’t locate your waste digester anywhere near edible plants. You also don’t want to locate one of these too close to water, like a river bank, or anywhere where the water table is high. Waste digesters won’t work properly in very clayey soil and digestive activity stops below 40°F, but picks up again when the weather warms up. Too much chlorine in the water you add to the digester may slow digestive activity.
The Doggie Dooley Underground Waste Digesters are easy to install. You dig a whole in your yard away from any edible plants, stick the Doggie Dooley in there according to directions, sprinkle in some enzyme that works as the digester, and you’re good to go. These range in price from $25-$85.
The Staywell Eco Clean is even more environmentally friendly since it’s made from 100% recycled materials. It too works like a small septic tank. The Staywell Eco Clean is installed the same way as the Doggie Dooley and also requires the addition of enzymes to break down the poop. It runs around $35.
Powerloo & Wasteaway—Outdoor Poop Flushers
The Powerloo is supposed to be an environmentally friendly way to dispose of dog poop. It’s an outdoor toilet that’s connected to your sewer and water lines for flushing poop you’ve scooped from your yard or poop you pick up on your walks in biodegradable bags. It comes in 6 different colors and will be $1000. Kind of pricey, hunh?
I’m not sure how the amount of water used balances out against keeping plastic bags out of landfills.
There’s another flusher thingy called The Wasteaway. It attaches at the clean-out pipe for your sewer line and uses a mounted garden hose to flush the poop. The opening looks kind of small—that could get really gross really quickly if your aim is bad. At least you can control how much water is used. The Wasteaway isn’t as pretty as the Powerloo, but it’s a lot cheaper at $175.