Petatree

Pet Cremation, C02 Emissions And The Awesome Role Trees Play

For years now, more pet owners and veterinarians have opted for cremation as a way to deal with the end-of-life process of their pets. In Canada, almost 80% of pets who die are cremated every year.
But lately, the cremation process has come under scrutiny as our culture responds to climate change.
In fact, the cremation of one pet releases 230 lbs of C02 into the atmosphere. In a country that cremates 800,000 pets a year, that is a seriously big carbon footprint, - or paw print - which is expected to grow by over 4% a year over the next 5 years. But just when it looks like another cause of climate change is growing out of control, enter the tree. The average tree absorbs 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and can re-capture 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old. In other words one tree can capture the C02 produced by the cremation of a pet in under 5 years. And then, that same tree continues capturing C02 over its lifetime. A fact seemingly not lost on tree-huggers.
That’s why a company in Canada called Petatree is offering pet owners the opportunity to transform the cremated remains of their pet into the life of a tree. Pet owners place the pet’s cremains or ashes into the Petatree urn, which is biodegradable and fully compostable, along with soil, a special pH buffer and a tree sapling. Not only does this provide pet owners with a natural, living memorial to their pet, but it responsibly eliminates the carbon foot print created by the cremation process-and then some.
Still wondering what trees do for people? Well, when they aren’t eliminating global warming, one tree on its own routinely provides a day’s supply of oxygen for 4 people - every day. Trees; they deserve every hug they get.

The Truth about Dogs and Cats

Why are cats “aloof” and dogs are just so darned charming and always happy to see you?
I don’t know. I don’t have a degree in the psychology of either dogs or cats, but maybe these fast facts will help all of us understand them a little better.

Let’s start with cats. Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend 16 hours a day sleeping. That means a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life! And when they are awake, they spend 30% of that time grooming! Now this next fact is really going to shock you: A single pair of cats and their first litter of kittens can produce as many as 420,000  kittens in just 7 years; there’s that number again…seven. But wait a minute, if they were asleep for 5 of those years, and 30% of their awake time was used to groom themselves, then that only leaves 16 months of, well y’know, "time" to produce all those kittens. A cat’s heart beats twice as fast as a human heart: I think I know why. I also think I understand why cat’s are so aloof. And tired.

But what about dogs? Well let’s start with their sense of smell. A dog’s sense of smell is up to one hundred thousand times more sensitive than a human’s. While humans have about five million scent receptors in their noses, a bloodhound has up to three hundred million. And a dogs’ wet nose help them smell better. What?! If that’s true, why do dogs always find the worst, most disgusting things to roll in, which makes them smell horrible? Because, as our next fact explains, dogs are about as smart as a two- or three-year-old child. Hmmm.
Dogs with “squashed” faces have more health problems. (and dating issues). The structure of the faces of pugs, boxers, and bulldogs makes them more prone to respiratory problems, dental problems, and other health issues. Many of them end up on Dr. Phil.
Dogs’ only sweat glands are between the pads of their feet. They dissipate the majority of their heat by panting, a method far more effective than allowing moisture to evaporate from the skin. Ahh, I knew they were smart, in a physiological kind of way…
A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away than a human can. OK, now we’re talking superhero powers!

Well its obvious in my own objective view that dogs come by their natural charm because they’re just built that way! And as for cats, well all I can say is, they seem to have a lot of "lifestyle" issues.
But in fairness, I leave you with a couple of traits shared by both dogs and cats: The nose prints of both dogs and cats are unique - they are ridged in a pattern just like fingerprints. But most importantly, both dogs and cats can read your moods: If you're sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your dog or cat's behaviour. We love our pets and they love us right back.

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