By John McSherry CNA Board, AL3 | CNA Media Team
Each day, neighbors walking their dogs down 29th Avenue between Ainsworth and Holman streets stop in the middle of the block, open a little glass door, take dog treats from a jar and make happy dogs.
We stock this Little Free Library box in the front of our house. Instead of books, it’s full of dog treats, poop bags and a little guest book.
Since my wife Theresa and I love dogs and the dog culture in Concordia, we thought giving cookies to our furry friends would be a fun way to interact with our neighbors and add to our community.
I made the box from a small cabinet drawer I found on the side of the road. I added a slanted roof, some siding from my house and a glass door on the front. I painted the whole thing to match our house and set it on a post in our sidewalk garden.
It’s named after our own dog, Scotty.
Inside there is a shelf separating the cookie jar and guest book on top from the poop bags below. The cookies are Costco chicken and rice premium dog biscuits, broken into smaller pieces. The jar holds about 130 cookies and lasts about a week, which results in about 18 happy dogs a day.
Sometimes the dogs will do tricks for cookies. Some people leave dog-related trinkets, prepaid coffee cards, and several times boxes of cookies have been left on our porch.
The poop bag supply is a collective effort, with neighbors adding bags as they can.
People write in the guest book, leaving their names, names of their pups and anecdotes about the garden. When I’m outside, people stop to thank me for the cookies, and I put faces and tails to the names in the guest book.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the guest book:
- “Thank you for bringing a smile and a tail wag to our day!”
- “Burt now thinks every Little Lending Library has treats!”
- “Kodi knows this house from down the street.”
- “Edan and Otis are delighted by the unexpected treat! Woof!”
- “I ate so many of your treats (they are delicious!) I refilled your treat box. Love Huey”
Occasionally, haikus are attached to the front of the box or added to the guest book and signed by Haiku Scotty. More photos and stories are on his Instagram account, @HaikuScotty
What fun it is! We’re so grateful to meet so many of our wonderful neighbors, human and canine alike.
John McSherry lives on 29th Avenue and serves on the CNA board and Media Team. When not spending time with his family, John loves playing music, recreating on the water and volunteering. He can be reached at AL3@Concordiapdx.org
Editor’s note: CNA respects the views and beliefs of all cultures and faiths. The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA.