Nahla the Goldendoodle has helped David Carter and his family get through a difficult year. The loving pup is always there to provide fun and distraction, whether she’s snuggling with her family or chasing sticks in the dog park.
“It’s taken her two years to fully train us and now we’re completely trained to do what she wants all the time,” Carter told The Dodo. “She’s just a great family member — especially during the last year, it’s just been wonderful to have a pet like this.”
To give back to Nahla and the other dogs in the neighborhood, Carter decided to create a “Stick Library” for his local dog park in Saskatchewan, Canada. Carter first came across the idea on social media and figured it would be the perfect project to do with his 10-year-old son, Jeremiah.
Before the building began, the father-son team had to come up with the perfect design. “We had to have a discussion about the kind of dimensions it should be so it was the right length for the sticks that most dogs like and we had to make it sturdy enough so that it would stand up to being in the dog park,” Carter said.
With some leftover lumber, the two set to work. Carter taught his son how to use the tools necessary to make the library a reality — even using a wood burner to label the library.
”We came up with the idea of calling each of the dog parks a ‘branch’ of the library which made us giggle a little bit,” Carter said. “Then [Jeremiah] put the lettering on and we put it together.”
There are two branches currently open, with more on the way. But unlike other libraries, Carter’s stick libraries are pretty lax when it comes to their return policy.
“We’re dealing with dogs here, so the rules are pretty slack,” Carter said. “We don’t have an overdue policy or anything like that. We hope people will put the sticks back.”
The stick libraries have gained a lot of attention over the past week from dogs and their owners. For Carter and Jeremiah, nothing is better than watching their libraries bring joy to their furry neighbors. “It’s been really exciting to see dogs running right over and grabbing a stick,” Carter said.
“Ultimately it’s a wooden box on the ground, but I think the story is about giving people something else to think about and talk about that has nothing to do with the pandemic and is about something fun — especially since it involves their pets,” Carter added.
The father-son duo is already hard at work trying to improve their design for the next branch of the library. They’re considering adding a stand with some hooks for lost and found items and maybe a place for some balls — though Nala can’t always be trusted when there’s a ball nearby.
“If she grabs a ball in the dog park, that’s it,” Carter said. “We can’t get ahold of her for the next hour.”
Credit thedodo
