Pets enrich our lives—supporting wellbeing, companionship, and connection. But there’s no avoiding the wider context: we face a climate and environmental crisis, and every part of society needs to understand its impacts.

The environmental footprint of pets is still relatively poorly understood, and what evidence exists is often scattered, technical, or debated. Conversations about pets can also be highly emotive, with strong views about welfare and “the right way” to keep animals. In this space, discussion is sometimes shaped not only by evidence but also by wider ethical and philosophical viewpoints, advocacy priorities, and commercial pressures—each of which can influence which questions are asked, which findings are emphasised, and how results are framed.

This website is written by a veterinary surgeon who left clinical practice to focus on providing independent, research-based information on the environmental impacts of pet keeping. Our aim is to make the best available evidence accessible to everyone—summarising what is known (and what isn’t)—to support informed, practical decisions that protect animal welfare and help secure a sustainable future.

The site’s initial focus is dog and cat feeding, because evidence suggests diet is one of the highest-impact areas of pet ownership. The FAQs highlight other impact areas, and we’ll expand the site over time to cover more aspects of pet keeping—creating a clear, trusted resource for everyone who cares about pets and the planet.