How To Choose an Earth-Friendly Pet Toy

Loving our pets and caring about the earth go hand in hand. Luckily, pet-friendly toys are often earth-friendly. A toy containing environmentally friendly materials, made by a company dedicated to "greening" its production, is not a guarantee a pet toy will be healthy, but it is a step in the right direction. Here are 7 tips on choosing an earth-friendly and pet-safe toy.

1. Check the label -- where was it made? Toys made in far away places like China have been found to contain heavy metals and toxic chemicals. You can be fairly certain if toys are made with toxic materials, their production creates toxic by-products, which are bad news for the whole planet. Of course, this does not mean that all pet toys from China contain toxic compounds. Stay aware of any recalls and visit pet-related news sites to learn breaking news.
2. Check the label -- what is the toy made of? Is it made with certified organic materials? Does it only say "organic", or does it just say it is "natural"? The term "organic", by itself, can be confusing and mean different things to different people. If the materials are certified organic, this means they meet strict established requirements. Toys that claim to be "natural" are not telling you much about their product -- find out more.
3. Check the label one final time -- is there any company information? Do they report any earth-friendly efforts? Do they belong to any organizations dedicated to earth-friendly practices? Companies who are concerned about our environment will often let you know what they are doing to help improve it. Reporting this involvement is a great marketing tool and also shows they are walking their talk.
4. Smell and touch the toy. Does the toy smell like chemicals or feel harsh to the touch? Pet toys should not have a strong chemical smell -- this may indicate residual chemicals in the materials comprising the toy.

   Pet toys should also feel good to the touch. After all, your pet will be chewing on it! Harsh fabrics may contain plastics and synthetics unhealthy to chew on. The production of plastics and many synthetic materials produces by-products that are not earth-friendly.

5. Avoid heavily dyed toys. Any toy that bleeds color when wet will certainly leach dye into your pet's mouth. Fabric dyes are not tested for consumption. Humans don't eat fabric but pets do! Fabric dyes contain heavy metals and strong chemicals. These dyes are also not earth-friendly and leach out during the primary production of colored fabrics. This process is most often done in third world communities and has been responsible for the destruction of many community water supplies.
6. Avoid toys that have been treated with fire retardants or stain guard. Sometimes these will contain formaldehydes and other undesirable chemicals.
7. Do you think the workers making the toy were paid fair wages? Is the toy really inexpensive but probably involved a lot of work to make? If so, the workers may have worked in sweat shop conditions. Sweat shop conditions are rarely earth-friendly. After all, if a company does not care about its workers, why would it care about the earth?

In the end, earth-friendly practices are like the golden rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do onto you." This relates to our pets and their toys in many ways. If we care about other people -- care that they work in safe non-toxic conditions and that their communities are protected from damage -- then your pets' toys will most probably be safe and infused with love and affection. Surely this is what earth-friendly practice is all about. We are all in this (or on this earth) together.