Roaming 'Rovers'

Over the past two weeks we've had two stray dogs roam right into the doors of our library. The first time I saw one it took a second to register that the mass of fur jogging among the stacks was not an unshaven patron but was a four legged animal.

Having a dog inside the library excites the teens who immediately adopt the dog as their own and want to start petting it. I'm sure some of these teens would pet every stray dog they saw even if it was foaming at the mouth.

The first dog was caught by our security officer who leashed it to the bench outside the front doors amassing a crowd before animal control arrived. The second dog was much smaller and cuter. It was a tiny brown chihuahua who wandered behind the reference desk and growled at us whenever we approached. We barricaded the entrance of the reference desk with trash cans so he wouldn't escape and prayed he wouldn't use the bathroom. The little guy was rescued by animal control soon after.

One staff member suggested we keep the chihuahua as a pet but after all this I have learned that you can't get any work done with a dog in the library.