July 26, 2011

By Rita Cook     

For Green Pet store owner Leslie McKay, the idea of opening an eco-friendly pet store in Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District was a no brainer.  An Oak Cliff resident herself, she says “I grew up being taught that everything has a purpose and can be repurposed. We didn’t think it was ‘green,’ it just made common sense.” That, in fact, spilled over into her idea of how people should care for their pets. And, since the south Louisiana native who has lived in the area for the past 12 years has “three fur children” of her own; dogs Rocky and Petey and one cat named Talulah, she says she really does “live the Green Pet life.”

The store, which will celebrate its third anniversary on August 7th indeed, does reflect the ideas of its owner as McKay says “There were many stores around DFW that sold all-natural food, some eco-friendly supplies, but no one store that sold only all-natural, eco-friendly supplies. At Green Pet, you know that anything you pick up is good for your dog or cat. I have become an ingredient freak and I stand behind all of the ingredients in everything at Green Pet.”

That said, McKay adds she wasn’t really sure how she’d do as an eco-friendly store owner either, “It’s hard to know how things will shake out when you open a business,” she begins. “Obviously you would have to think your idea will fly, or you wouldn’t put all of this time into it. Having said that, I am so pleased at how much the shop continues to grow.”

As for her own living green standards these days, she keeps up and does her part “As humans we use and exploit most natural resources, so it is important to be mindful about how much you use, what can be reused, and what can be recycled.”

From an eco pet-friendly standpoint she says she believes “The most basic way to begin to live green with a pet is to adopt a recycled pet.  There are ten animals in shelters to every one animal that is bred. Start out green by adopting an animal who exists already and is in need of a family. I also see more people in Dallas feeding their animals a better diet, conscious of the impact that their purchasing decisions have [too].  An eco-friendly mindset for your pet not only helps the earth, but helps your dog or cat.”

Concluding that most of the green living she does in her live now came from her parent’s she says “My folks passed down the recycling, second-hand store kind of attitude. My dad was composting before composting was cool, in the 80’s so it makes sense to buy a toy made from recycled materials or pet beds whose fabric and stuffing is made from recycled water bottles, it’s just like other things we purchase that are recycled in our life.”

Green Pet
315 N. Bishop Ave.
Dallas, TX  75208
214 942 6042 shop
www.greenpetdallas.com

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