A Decade of Progress - Pet Owners more environmentally Responsible

The latest research into pet ownership, conducted with approximately 1,000 Australians by Roy Morgan Research has shown that pet owners are more aware of their responsibilities to the environment than they were a decade ago.

Pet ownership brings many benefits to owners and the communities they and their pets are part of, but it is vital that the responsibilities of being a pet owner are understood and acted on.

In 1994, when the last research was done, 63% of owners reported that they kept their cats in at night, whereas in 2006 the comparable figure is 78%.

There are similar improvements in the number of owners who report cleaning up after their dog. 64% of dog owners now report that they ‘always’ pick up their dog droppings, compared with 33% in 1994.

It is particularly pleasing that 61% of the general population felt that the extent to which dog owners pick up droppings had either ‘increased a lot’ or ‘increased moderately’ since 1994.

Carl Carthy, pet lover and CEO of Greening Australia is the owner of two dachshunds, a breed that was originally bred to hunt badgers. He is highly conscious of the need to check the garden because he is lucky enough to have koalas, echidnas and blue tongues lizards visit from time to time.

He checks the garden before letting them out in the morning and never leaves them outside in the garden unsupervised.

Next week, leading animal behaviourist, Kersti Seksel, provides 10 top Eco tips for pet owners