THUNDER BAY — A “puppy storytime” program is finding an enthusiastic young audience at the Thunder Bay Public Library.
The program is run by the library in partnership with Tammy Williams, a certified professional dog trainer and owner of PAWsitively Social Canine Adventures who is also a book lover.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to kind of meld the two,” she said. “We get a chance to interact with books and puppies, and what could be better than that?”
“I really love it. It's an opportunity for me to get the puppies out and about, but [also] to spread the word about children being safe around dogs.”
Oakley, a six-month old Husky mix about to graduate from Williams’ “puppy perks” program, made a solo appearance at a storytime on last week, as her canine co-star wasn’t feeling well.
During the session, attended by around two dozen children and caregivers, Williams went over items like how to properly approach and pet a dog, how to interpret behavioural signs like raised ears, and how dogs may react to loud noises or sudden movements.
“We like to talk a lot about dog safety and what to do or not do when you're approaching a dog, or when a dog is approaching you,” she said.
With Oakley showing signs of nervousness, most children weren’t able to approach or pet the puppy on Tuesday.
Recognizing and respecting those signs is one of the points of the exercise, said Williams.
“We did some noises, so we had a little bit of clapping, we had a little bit of singing, and Oakley seemed really good with that,” she said. “She didn't necessarily want to be approached by the children, which is okay, because she gets to make the choice.”
“That’s one of the biggest things that we can teach our children about dogs, is the fact that they have to be safe. It's important they know how to look at a dog and understand what that dog is trying to tell them with their body language, how to let the dog approach them as opposed to going straight in.”
Eight-year-olds Annabelle Charbonneau and Caelyn Veneziale-Johnson gave the program glowing reviews.
While acknowledging slight disappointment over not being able to pet Oakley, the pair said they’d come away from the activity with a better understanding of dog behaviour.
“[I learned] that dogs put their ears up when they’re happy, and they put them down when they just want you to go away,” said Veneziale-Johnson. “And they can get a little bit scared or startled by little kids, because they move faster.”
While the program is designed to delight the young children who attend, Williams said the puppies get a lot out of it, too.
“It just gets dogs used to interacting with all different kinds of humans and all different kinds of environments, so they're not so scared of new things.”
The puppy storytime program started as a one-off in March, said Jana O’Flaherty, a community hub technician with the Thunder Bay Public Library.
When that event attracted over 150 people, the library realized it had a hit on its hands and offered the program weekly through the spring.
O’Flaherty said it helps the library reach new users, estimating three-quarters of attendees on Tuesday were not regulars at the Brodie branch.
“Sometimes when kids aren't comfortable reading, are not regular library users, something unique like puppies is going to bring them in,” she said. “We just really want to make that connection when the kids are young, that the library is a place they can enjoy.”
She also sees the value in arming children with basic knowledge of canine behaviour.
“One of the things I think it really does is encourage that compassionate behaviour in children,” she said. “When you're exposing them to animals that might be nervous or scared, it's really neat to see the kids that might be running around wild all of a sudden gently approach that dog.”
The puppy perks storytime program will run every second Tuesday throughout the summer, featuring a variety of puppies.
A full calendar of library events is available at the TBPL’s website.
