How big is your pet's environmental paw-print?

An increasing number of pet owners are trying to reduce their pet dogs and cats' ecological paw-print by substituting vegetarian and vegan foods for meat, often with unintended welfare consequences.

Dr Anne Fawcett with dogs Labrador Ned Notting, pomeranian cross
Maltese Archer Van Golde and Italian greyhound Nino Thompson-Hunt.

According to research published in the New Scientist, the carbon footprint of a sports utility vehicle driven for 10,000 kilometres for a year is about less than half of a medium-sized dog like a labrador or a Golden Retriever.

At a Sydney University forum last week, experts from RSPCA, vets and environmentalists called on the public to rethink the number of pets we have, the size of these pets, and also the species. Lizards anyone?

"We all need to be prepared to make compromises," Professor David Raubenheimer, Sydney University's expert on nutritional ecology told the forum, the 9th Annual Robert Dixon Memorial Animal Welfare Symposium. It was held to discuss how to balance animal welfare, human wellbeing and the future of the planet.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Julie Power - “How big is your pet's environmental paw-print?”