Pet PawNatural Products and Living a Greener Lifestyle

While I like to think of myself as “active”, the truth is – I’m really not. Active to me means going out for a weekend hike with the dogs, or teaching my cats agility, or committing to an evening walk. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. But, I wanted to do more – and I wanted to make a difference while I do it.

So this year, I incorporated something a little easier: a green lifestyle and (mostly) sustainable living for my family and my pets.

If you look up “going green”, you’ll see it is a term rife with trendy words and consumer messages that mean very little. I adapted a “baby steps” approach and defined the term on my own.

[note icon=”yes”]This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but PetsWeekly only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.[/note]

[heading style=”2″ color=”#ff9933″ style_color=”#ff9933″]Greener Lifestyles and supporting like-minded businesses[/heading]

Going green (to me) means that I change the way I live my life. I single-ingredient menus (like my pets) and it’s not nearly as boring as it sounds. It also means I recycle, I garden (despite having a black thumb), and most importantly, it means that I am starting to take time to smell the roses and appreciate the beauty in the world around me. Most importantly, I support like-minded businesses and even if it means I pay a little more, it’s worth it if I can get better results and encourage eco-friendly practices.

The story of Only Natural Pet is very similar to my own. It started with a man named Martin Goldstein and a dog named Crinkles.  When Goldstein rescued Crinkles in 2002, she was dealing with a host of problems, and every solution seemed to lead to more issues. That’s when it clicked for the founder of the popular store asked himself a very important question: If I’m thriving on a natural life, why wouldn’t Crinkles? “The difference was night and day,” Goldstein said, and in 2004, the Only Natural Pet store was founded and our ability to select natural pet food and natural pet products in general, was made much easier.

[heading style=”2″ color=”#ff9933″ style_color=”#ff9933″]Education is Key[/heading]

Here is a fun fact: I spent ten years as a curriculum developer and instructional designer. Eventually, I developed a line of educational activity books for children, and I still love creating media that helps those of any age care for their pets.

This is another value I share with Only Natural Pets. Education is woven into the fabric of their company and it’s obvious as soon as you see their extensive selection process for products. They hire holistic and traditional veterinarians to consult on the items they carry, they blog regularly to keep pet parents up to date on new products, and they believe that an educated pet parent is an effective pet parent.

We share that belief. Call them if you have a question. Stop by one of their stores and discuss the benefits of any of the foods or toys they carry. You’ll see for yourself how much we have in common.