As much of a cat person as I am, I’m willing to concede that dogs are much easier pets to please. They don’t require a lot to put a smile on their face. A good toss of a ball, a belly scratch, or a couple of doggie treats and you’ve got yourself one contended canine. Dogs are especially happy when they’re playing fetch with something. And when we take our pets to the park, often times the easiest thing to play with them with, is a good old stick. They’re easy to find, easy to carry, easy to throw – and they make our dogs extremely happy.
One man, Andrew Taylor, was well aware of the joys that sticks bring to dogs. His own dog always showed plenty of excitement around sticks. It was this enthusiasm that got the 59-year-old dog owner thinking about a great idea.
He decided to put his craft skills to use creating a “stick library” at his local park in order for all the dogs to borrow and enjoy playing with a stick!
As Taylor’s daughter, Tayla, said, “Our dog Bella had become a stick lover because she ripped to shreds any balls or toys.”
Taylor, who lives in Kaiapoi, New Zealand, collected a good number of sticks for his library, carefully trimming the trees on the side of his home. He then sanded them down, making sure they were smooth and clean for the dogs to use. After that, he proceeded to create a box for them to go into.
“While trimming the trees, my dad found himself with a lot of dead branches, and knowing from experience how hard it can be to find a good stick, and that the new dog park was opening soon, he had the idea that he would save them and put them in some kind of box,” Tayla said.
He engraved the words “Stick Library” on top of the box in order to encourage people to return them once their dog has finished playing.
“He decided to call it the stick library because it implied that you return the stick once you’re finished with it,” Tayla explained.
Once the box was set up in the park, Tayla helped him invite people to the park in order to attend an “opening” for the stick library. About 50 people and their dogs turned up to the event.
The local dog owners absolutely love the idea. It’s very simple but very handy.
“As people started to arrive, there was disbelief of how simple the idea was, but it’s one of those ideas no one had thought of. All the dog owners appreciate it as they all have experienced the ‘good stick search’ which isn’t always fruitful, it’s an idea that just makes sense to them,” she said.
