Do you buy locally for your pets? I may be late to the game on this one but I recently added "buying locally produced dog food" to my list of ways I contribute to reducing my carbon footprint. I had been shopping at Petsmart, which I guess is the Wal-Mart/Target of the animal world but recently happened upon a local dog goods store that sold me on a higher quality dog food made locally in Texas.

I guess this store would be the Whole Foods for our beloved pets. Mind you, I didn't switch solely based on the fact it was locally made, but also because the ingredients were of higher quality than what I had been purchasing.

It's not that I didn't think I couldn't buy local dog food, it's that I didn't even think of the option in the first place! After some Googling, I discovered that the pet brands' websites usually fully disclose where their plants are and how they transport their goods. It takes a few extra minutes but you can find local goods that fit your best friends particular needs. If you are in the Dallas area, check out Canine Commissary. The employees there are extremely knowledgeable on locally sourced pet goods.

Image: Used with permission by Robert Howl