‘Pit stops for pups’: Simple kindness makes dogs, owners happy

Animal lovers Andy Lester and his wife Jeana Clark don't have dogs of their own, but they have kind hearts and an inclination to accommodate canine neighbors, as evidenced by the pup pit stop outside their Palatine home.

They aren’t the only dog lovers to indulge their four-legged neighbors. Sandy and Derrick Jenner in Lake Zurich and police officers in Buffalo Grove are among the suburbanites whose do-it-yourself rest stops cater to canines.

Several years ago, Lester and Clark saw a social media post about dog stick libraries that — like the little free libraries on which they're based — operate on a take-a-stick/leave-a-stick principle. Inspired, Lester and Clark set up a canine “comfort station” near the fire hydrant on their property.

“It's an idea we had,” said Clark. “We were thinking about how we can bring a little joy and levity to people … how we can make somebody smile.”

The pit stop consists of a water bowl (refilled daily), sticks, tennis balls and occasionally other toys beneath a sign designed by artist Clark. Lester describes it as a truck stop for dogs.

“We have a lot of dogs walking by and humans with them,” he said. “And we're glad to talk to them.”

This year, Lester added tennis balls he picked up at a garage sale for $2. Within days, they were gone.

“Everybody loved those,” he said.

Anonymous donors left more. Someone left a rope pull toy.

“We have no idea who did it,” said Clark, who estimates four or five dogs and owners visit daily, mostly during the late afternoon.

Newcomers are easy to spot, she said. They're the ones taking photos.

“They start smiling,” she said. “That's what makes me the happiest.”

Lester agreed.

“It's so simple and it makes so many people and so many dogs happy,” he said.

Dogs aren't the only animals making pit stops at the couple's home. Birds, squirrels and a couple of the neighborhood's outdoor cats drink out of the water bowl, Lester said.

Lester and Clark aren't the suburbs' only dog stick stewards. Buffalo Grove police officers debuted the village's little dog library in May 2022, at 46 Raupp Blvd., right next to the little free children's library established about a year earlier.

In Lake Zurich, Sandy Jenner decided to create a dog library outside her home about three years ago after she saw one on Pinterest. Her husband built the bin, which Jenner stocked with sticks and tennis balls donated by a former tennis coach. When the supply ran low after several years, Jenner's mother-in-law stocked up with balls donated from area racket clubs.

In addition to sticks and tennis balls, the library also includes other toys. Someone left a Frisbee once. Other donations have included new, hard plastic playthings which Jenner believes owners bought for pets who didn't enjoy playing with them.

In any case, the library is a hit.

“People are liking it and using it,” she said.

A grateful pup named Petey penned a thank-you note to the family.

“Doing stuff like this is out of the ordinary,” admits Lester, “but it shouldn't be.”

“We don't think about how easy it is to do something that improves somebody else's day,” he said. “It doesn't put me out. We're not spending a lot of money. We're spending a little time doing something that makes people happy, that makes their dogs happy.”