Straw
Yes I really do want to tell you something about straw. I know that’s strange for a dog, but Mum got quite excited about the idea and thought you might like to know. Straw is a good alternative to salt to put on paths when they are icy so that you don’t slip. Now, I realise you might be saying, ‘What’s wrong with good old salt?’ but the truth is that there are several things. Most importantly it isn’t good for our paws. It can lead our paws to crack and if we lick our paws too much we can also end up having much too high a salt intake. It’s not great for wildlife either, so overall winter can get a bit tricky.
Mulch
On the other paw, straw is much more dog and wildlife friendly and that seems like a very good thing. Which brings us onto mulch. When Dad wanted some mulch for the garden earlier in the year, Mum insisted that the first priority was that the mulch would be dog friendly. She’s good like that, always thinking of us first. Anyway, after she did some research she concluded that straw mulch was the best option. And that’s what Dad bought… a whole pallet load.
On the bright side, Mum says she can use it on the ground if it’s icy. On the funny side though, it’s pellets and when it gets wet it expands to 6 times its original size. You could sprinkle a fine layer before you went to bed and find yourself walking on a whole cushion of straw in the morning.
Apparently sawdust is good too, so if you don’t have any straw lying around and don’t want to buy straw mulch, you could see if you can get hold of some sawdust. Failing that, the next time you’re fed up, find a saw and an old piece of wood and take your frustration out making your own sawdust.
Love
Wilma
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