Caters News AgencyPicture the scene: you’re feeling a bit down/hungover/drained/all three – because let’s face it, who isn’t after that general election?
What’s the one thing that could cheer you up? Emigrating to a different country and pretending yesterday never happened? Travelling back in time and dedicating your life to becoming the next prime minister so yesterday actually did never happen?
Although both sound like tempting ideas, sadly I can’t help you with them. What I can help you with is I can provide a temporary distraction from what’s going on with an adorable story about dogs, because who doesn’t want that?
The story I’m talking about? A man who created a ‘stick library’ in his local park for the neighbourhood dogs:
The library was created by toolmaker Andrew Taylor, 59, who came up with the idea when he was trimming the trees at the side of his home in Kaiapoi, New Zealand. Wanting to put the branches he cut off to good use, Taylor collected them and sanded them off so they would be nice and smooth, then engraved a box with the words ‘stick library’.
The idea? Dogs roaming the park can pick one of the sticks up whenever they fancy and beg their owners to play a game (or several games) of fetch. And it’s working, as Taylor’s daughter, Tayla Reece, has already shared photos and videos of dogs making use of the library. Disclaimer: they’re adorable.
Andrew dropped off the box in a newly opened park so all the dogs have easy access to it, with Tayla inviting local residents to meet at the park on December 11 to give the toy box a go – and loads of residents, and doggos, came along. ‘Approximately 50 people turned up with their dogs and one guy even brought his cat,’ she said.
Caters News AgencyTayla explained:
Our dog Bella had become a stick lover because she ripped to shreds any balls or toys.
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.
When the park opened on November 30, mum and dad took Bella and sure enough there were no good sticks. Dad is the type of guy that is always thinking of things to make, so the next day he found a suitable crate and made the sign for the top.
He decided to call it the stick library because it implied that you return the stick once you’re finished with it.
Caters News AgencyTayla said everyone ‘appreciates’ what they’ve done for the neighbourhood, particularly because most dog owners have ‘experienced the “good stick search” which isn’t always fruitful’.
What a brilliant idea, and one that I hope distracted you from politics for at least a couple of minutes.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).