It is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. We hope you are inspired to take better care of our one and only Planet Earth. Here are a few ways you can help:

* Recycle whenever possible.
* Never ever litter! If you smoke please do not throw your cigarette out the car window!
* Bring your own shopping bags to the store.
* Walk or bike whenever possible instead of driving.
* Use biodegradable cleaning products.
* Support local farmers and produce stands.
* Buy organic whenever possible.
* Plant a tree and/or a garden.
* Turn off all TV, radios and lights when possible.

Earth Day is around the corner. How can you and your dogs help the environment? Biodegradable poop bags!

“Picking up after your pet is part of being a responsible pet owner. In many communities, it’s also the law. We are constantly amazed when pet owners put 100% biodegradable dog waste into plastic bags that can take over 100 years to decompose. Now owners have a logical solution.”

There are several eco-friendly poop bags now on the market. Save fossil fuel and burn calories by walking your dog to your local pet supply store for a box!

Aromatherapy to the Rescue

April showers bring May flowers with fleas, ticks and other bugs that attack our pets.

Ticks carry the dreaded Lyme disease as well as yellow-spotted fever disease and others. Fleas are annoying to both humans and animals as well as dangerous.

Many people have asked me about recommendations for natural pest repellents for their dogs. There are a few essential oils that can help combat ticks and fleas, however there is no guarantee that these aromatherapy mixtures will completely protect your dog. Always err on the side of caution when bringing your dog into an area that is known to have ticks.

Please note that certain aromatherapy oils are toxic for cats. The following essential oils are for human or dog use only.

Here are a few essential oils to make your own Pest Away Repellent.

* Geranium oil is said to be one of the best oils to repel ticks and fleas. It can also be used as a hair and skin conditioner.
* Lavender oil is soothing, calming and repels most bugs, ticks and even scorpions.
* Lemongrass repels ticks, fleas and mosquitos.
* Sage and thyme are also used with other oils to repel ticks.

To make your own essential oil repellent, take about 4 drops of one or more of the above oils mixed into 8 ounces of pure water in a dark glass spray bottle.

You can use this mixture on your dog, the dog’s bedding and even yourself! Please be careful not to spray near eyes or any orifices.

Too busy to make your own bug repellent? Visit our friends at Bella’s Oils to find natural sprays, shampoos and other green products for you and your pets.

“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.” Dr Seuss from The Lorax

Who will speak for the 500 acres of forest and wildlife bulldozed over to make room for a Super Walmart and a Lowes on Highland Ave in Salem MA? Can we stop Mayor Driscoll and her cronies from demolishing the woods of Salem so that the city can get a tax rebate?

Earth Day is on April 22. Please help save a small portion of it by signing this petition.
www.change.org/petitions/view/save_woods_of_salem

“The public lands of recreation and wildlife of the woods of Salem is on the turn of endangerment. A residential development and a new Lowes/ Expanding Super Walmart/ Expanding Meineke is slating to clear the woods, blast hills made by glaciers and end bike trails in the area north of Highland Ave, Salem Ma. Situated east of Lynn, Spring Pond to Marlborough Road, Salem. Lowes will be situated near an existing Walmart, on the same street as One Way Lumber, Home Depot, and Target where these types of stores already exist. This new development effects nearby residents of three cities which meet at these borders. Bicyclists, Nature Hikers, nearby residents and kids from the camps will no longer be able to enjoy the woods: from Camp Lions, Camp Fire and the Boys and Girls Camp. We’ve spotted deer, vultures, bats, fox… heard the sounds of coyote, woodpeckers, owls, different types of little birds, vernal pools, waterfalls and see many little animals roam these woods. City woods also provide a healthy supply of oxygen to breath from, circulating clean air into congested polluted city grids. We will not have many public green lands left surrounding congested cities for cleaner air and relaxation.

For centuries cities have been fighting to reclaim their waterfronts from old industry. Today we have to send a message out to the City of Salem, that the wetlands and properties near Spring Pond need to be saved. Please encourage law makers to enforce the PUBLIC LANDS PRESERVATION ACT and MASSACHUSETTS ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT of Massachusetts. ”

Please sign the petition and spread the word!

www.change.org/petitions/view/save_woods_of_salem

For those who are looking for a product that melts ice without causing harm to your pets, children or the planet we found one!

Gaia Enterprises Safe Paw Ice Melter is 100% salt-free and is guaranteed pet and child safe.

Look for Safe Paw Ice Melter at your local pet supply or visit their website. www.safepaw.com

The holiday season has arrived!

Help save fossil fuel and boost your town’s economy by shopping locally this year. Burn off some of those holiday calories by taking a walk with your dog to your favorite neighborhood shops. Be sure to thank all those canine friendly establishments for allowing you and your best friend to shop together!

If you live in an remote area, browse the internet for holiday gifts. Shop any time of the day or night. It’s so easy. No parking hassles. No lines at the register. Think how happy you and your dog will be curled up together at home! Below are a few of our favorite gift ideas.

Sooth the savage beast with music.
Visit your local music or book stores for more.
or www.amazon.com

Solid Gold Cinna-Bones
Wheat-free warming treats with cinnamon! Find at your local pet supply shops and online.
www.solidgoldhealth.com

The Animal Rescue Shop
Pawsitive gifts for a good cause!
www.theanimalrescuesite.com

The holidays are just around the corner! Fox’s Flower Boxes is the pet-friendly, eco-friendly business that can help your make your house festive, inside and out! Utilizing organic materials, Fox’s Flower Boxes can create arrangements for your holiday table or mantle.

Dress up that drab planter outside with seasonal greens, berries and dried elements to welcome your holiday guests!

Fox’s Flower Boxes offers the following services:
• Pet gardens (catnip, edible grasses and peppermint)
• Seasonal plantings; annuals and perennials
• Outdoor winter flower boxes using evergreens, berries
• Wreaths, garlands, tree decoration
• Residences and businesses
• Landscaping for smaller, pocket gardens
• Maintenance for indoor plants
• Floral and dried arrangements
• Garden maintenance
• Free consultation

Mention this ad and receive 10% off your first Fox’s Flower Boxes project!

For more information, please visit or email lisa@foxsfloweboxes.com

Are there tumble-weeds of dog hair rolling through your house? Cobwebs? Cat hair carpeting the couch? Have the in-laws invited themselves over for the holiday? Don’t panic. Call Green Clean of Salem!

For all those living in Salem MA, Green Clean offers a supreme eco-loving home cleaning that specializes in pet hair and dust removal via their mega HEPA Kirby vacuums. All products are 100% plant, no dyes or perfumes to irritate you or your pets.

Nothing in their recycled plastic spray bottles is tested on animals. …EVER!
Gift Certificates are available at Crunchy Granola Baby on Washington St Salem MA.

Has your dog had a recent Four Paws Acupuncture treatment? Let Green Clean know about your experience and receive 10% off your first Green Clean.

Visit the Green Clean website: www.greencleansalem.com

Looking for an eco-friendly organic shampoo that is reasonably priced for your dog? We are happy to endorse Bella Oils and their products for people and pets.

“As time passes we hear more about the adverse effects of the synthetic chemicals that we use in our daily lives. Often these chemicals are in products that we would generally regard as safe, such as deodorant, toothpaste, body lotion, or shampoo. With this in mind, we try to use products that are as close to nature and are processed as little as possible.”

“Our Organic Pet Shampoo is made from organic coconut, olive and jojoba oils, organic aloe vera, and a combination of natural and organic essential oils. This eco-friendly natural liquid soap product is extraordinarily mild, hypoallergenic, and free of petroleum or animal by-products. ”

To see more of the products offered by Bella Oils visit their website. www.bella-oils.com

In May’s Four Paws Aupuncture E-letter, aromatherapy oils that repel bugs were featured. For those who do not have the time to make their own natural insect repellent, Burt’s Bees makes a safe spray for all!

DO NOT USE ON CATS!

Burt Bee’s website reads. “Our 100% natural blend of bug-fighting oils repels even the most stubborn of pests. Rosemary, Lemongrass, and Citronella oils mix with 5 other oils that bugs hate, creating an all natural solution for keeping them away. Since there’s no DEET in this formula, it’s safe enough to apply with confidence to children and pets.”

Ingredients: glycine soja (soybean) oil, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, cymbopogon schoenanthus (lemongrass) oil, thuja occidentalis (cedar) leaf oil, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, cymbopogon nardus (citronella) oil, eugenia caryophyllus (clove) flower oil, geranium maculatum (geranium) oil, tocopherol

To learn more about this product visit www.burtsbees.com