When it comes to life it’s all about balance. You need to be active outdoors in order to stay healthy, but at the same time, it’s helpful for your mental health to chill out for a bit and maybe enjoy a good book. Or if you’re like me, you like to chill out and enjoy several good books. Knowing that life is all about balance, one man from Chicago, Wayne Johnson, decided that he was going to do something nice for his community. He decided that he was going to put his woodworking abilities into a bit of a passion project by creating two free libraries. One was for people, the other was for dogs.
Besides being a woodworker, the Chicago-based Johnson is also a cook who loves to travel. While observing his neighborhood, Johnson was sparked by the fact that there was no library for humans or for dogs. That is what prompted him to create his “mini library.” For the humans, he filled the wooden boxes with books, which he then placed in a heavily trafficked area close to his house. But for the dogs of the community, Johnson had a special idea in mind. And he needed a little time in his workshop to bring it to fruition.
Even though Johnson isn’t a dog owner himself, he still wanted them to feel included. That is why he came up with the charming idea to create a little doggie library. Using cedar wood that was coated with shellac, Johnson built the most adorable box that read,“Fetch One. Leave One.” But instead of filling the library box with books for the dogs, he filled it with something far better: sticks!
Most of the sticks that he had created came from fallen branches that he managed to salvage and turn into the perfect sticks for fetching. He also added a sweet little decorative detail of covering the wooden library with paw prints. How adorable.
He did such a good job with his doggie library that he even said he might cave and get himself a four-legged best friend one day. But while Johnson decides whether or not to take the plunge and get himself a dog, all the other canines of the community will be able to enjoy a game of fetch thanks to his generosity.
On his YouTube channel, WayneBites, he shares some of his recipes and woodworking undertakings – including his library project. You can watch the video of him building it below:
