Visitors and their canine buddies going for a stroll through a couple dog parks in Saskatoon will notice something when they walk through park entrances — a stick library.
The concept is simple: the library’s purpose is to hold sticks that dogs can borrow to play with. People can take them, but should also return or replace the sticks when possible.
Dave Carter and his 10-year-old son Jeremiah got the idea through social media after seeing a similar concept from a man in New Zealand.
“Given that it’s COVID-19 and Jeremiah is not as active (as he normally would be), he is a very sporty kid and has a lot of activities and was looking for things to do at home,” said Carter. “At first he wasn’t into it, but once we got into the garage and working with power tools, he got into it.”
The stick library locations are at Avalon (Nutana) and Chief Whitecap (Furdale) dog parks. Dave says they are working on a third library for the Sutherland dog park.
Carter says the stick library has allowed Jeremiah and family dogs Nahla and Swiffer to bond more during the pandemic.
Carter says improvements have been discussed between the father and son pair.
“We have also talked about some modifications. Do we have a section for lending balls to dogs, do we have a section for lost and found leashes or car keys.”
Jeremiah says the reception has been overwhelming.
“Everyone on social media has good comments about it,” said Jeremiah Carter. “It’s kind of satisfying going to the dog park seeing people talking about it, looking at it.”
Carter adds the projects have provided a lot of fun during the pandemic.
“It’s just a positive thing that is not about COVID-19,” Carter said. “It’s something I can do with my 10-year-old and he can learn some new skills.”