Wow.   It appears that the eco paw print of dogs is worse than that of an SUV.  Les Jones gives a link to Terra Daily which reveals the report findings,

The Vales, specialists in sustainable living at Victoria University of Wellington, analysed popular brands of pet food and calculated that a medium-sized dog eats around 164 kilos (360 pounds) of meat and 95 kilos of cereal a year.

Combine the land required to generate its food and a “medium” sized dog has an annual footprint of 0.84 hectares (2.07 acres) — around twice the 0.41 hectares required by a 4×4 driving 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) a year, including energy to build the car.

Don’t get too comfortable, cat lovers.  They may be even worse for the environment according to the study,

With a total 7.7 million cats in Britain, more than 188 million wild animals are hunted, killed and eaten by feline predators per year, or an average 25 birds, mammals and frogs per cat, according to figures in the New Scientist.

So yes, my cat does catch and eat the occasional misguided mouse that ventures into my house.  But for me, it’s all the more reason to keep her.

PS – That’s my dog Libby in the photo.