Pidge checks out some of the books at the library Tuesday afternoon. " />
Pidge checks out some of the books at the library Tuesday afternoon.
It’s tough being the library’s new unofficial mascot.
You have to let people rub your belly. You get to play with your favorite candy cane rag toy. And you get to stretch out and take long naps in the library.
But Pidge, a Labradoodle, is making the best of her new position.
“She’s made a lot of friends,” Montana Frehe, Pidge’s owner, said. “All the kids love her. Even my teen volunteers have been having fun taking her leash and holding on to her for me, and just watching her and petting her.”
Pidge has been hanging out at the library since Thursday and will be there for the rest of this week. Frehe said she doesn’t know if she will bring Pidge to work much after this week, but hopes to take her to events so she can meet people.
Frehe said Pidge is severely underweight and has to eat three times a day in order to become more stable, which is the main reason Pidge has been staying at the library.
But Pidge has been spreading joy and love while going to work with her new mom.
“It’s been very fun and nice,” Frehe said. “Everyone’s just like, ‘Awww,’ especially when they hear her story. So it really makes people think about things that they may not think about at the library. But, it also brightens their day because they’re like, ‘I got to see a dog at the library today!’”
Frehe said Pidge was surrendered by her original owners to her fiance’s co-worker’s girlfriend, who trains service dogs, last Thursday morning.
Frehe and her fiance, Ian Murg, were interested in getting another dog to go along with their other two dogs, Bella and Izzi.
“We were just told, ‘Hey, we have a dog. Do you want her?’” Frehe said. “‘Yes, we’ll take her!’ We just wanted to help out any way we could with her because she deserved better.”
Frehe said the veterinarian estimated Pidge is a 5.5-months-old Labradoodle.
Frehe said one of Pidge’s favorite things to do is play with her toys until they are torn up.
“She’s starting to destroy some toys, which we are letting her because she doesn’t know how to be a puppy quite yet,” Frehe said.
Even though she likes to tear things up, others who have gotten to know Pidge said she is a very calm and sweet dog.
“I love her,” Debbie Weld said. “When I first saw her, I got down on the ground to see if she would come to me and she did. She’s just a sweet little puppy.”
Vicki Johnson said Pidge’s presence at the library has been helpful, especially for kids in the community.
“It teaches them a lot about animals and caring for animals in need,” Johnson said. “I think that’s a good lesson we all can learn, not just the kids.”
Frehe encourages those who are touched by Pidge’s story to donate to their local animal shelters, such as the Lawrence Humane Society or Great Plains SPCA.
Reach reporter Jack Denebeim at [email protected]