Imagine my surprise on learning recently that one can check out a dog at the library! To me a well-known animal lover (who would say Awww! even if I saw a baby iguana…although I am not fond of frogs and snakes) I would absolutely love if my public library offered patrons a chance to borrow a dog or cat for a few minutes. Of course, animals are not self-sufficient and they would require persons to see to their upkeep and general well-being, but nevertheless, that is a totally cool idea. 🙂
Oftentimes libraries really need to think outside the box, in order to get patrons to visit them. In my case, as someone who lost a pet at the tender age of thirteen (13) and never wanted another one to suffer the heartbreak of such a loss, I would definitely be willing to visit the library to borrow a dog.
As our best friends, dogs, are like kids, they can definitely put a smile on your face when they start their repertoire of cute antics, which means that you end up having a few blissful moments to just enjoy an animal, without having to bathe it, feed it or to worry about if it’s chewing your shoes while you’re at work.
So I hope that many librarians, take a page out of the Countway Library of Medicine’s book and think about whether such an initiative would be a success at your library.
To read up on the library’s innovative stress relief weapon Cooper you can click on the following link Doggone that stress.
Also if there are libraries out there that have already taken such a bold step I would love to hear about it so don’t be afraid to comment.
Loise Francisco and her dog Cooper, who is a therapy dog available to faculty, staff and students on the Medical School campus of Harvard University. Justin Ide/Harvard Staff Photographer
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