Portland’s first free library for dogs and cats opens, encouraging pawrents to let their pets take a toy or leave a toy

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Oct 18, 2026 8:15 AM EDT

With dogs and cats quickly gaining more and more recognition as our biological children each and every year that passes it is only reasonable that we would start to see more and more services relating to them popping up. Whether it be daycare, salons or in this case a community library, you never quite know what is going to come along tomorrow to enrich the life of your darling pet. So we wanted to share this sweet story with you in the hopes that it will inspire a wholesome and grounded movement of progressive pet pawrents to come up with 90s style concepts for the canine and cat communities, allowing all of us Gen Xers and Millenials to relive a little of that simple glory we grew up with.

If you were lucky enough as I was to grow up with a small community library in your neighborhood you will immediately remember the wonder that surrounded passing by it on a walk or on the way to friends. The build was always a little shabby, the paint crooked and slightly faded from time in the sun, but the contents of that small wooden structure felt like a portal to another land. In some sense it felt like almost anything could be inside and that the whole thing that seemed to never have any kind of attendant or employee working on it might even be run by elves or some sort of magic. Every time you opened its doors you were filled with a trickle of excitement down your spine at the wonder and potential that awaited within.

So it is of little surprise that someone has finally taken it upon themselves to offer our doggos the very same wonder and magic. After all, kids these days are far too focused on screens to be able to enjoy such whimsy and mystery so it is pawfect that our puppers and felines can take their place at the magical table as it were. And I want to make it clear that our intention is not to necessarily promote the pet shop who came up with this wholesome idea, although they do deserve the recognition for their wonderful work. But I wanted to share this with all of you to remind you that magic still exists and it is something that we can share with our pets. So if you have a little extra time on your hands consider what you might be able to construct for your local community. 
 

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  • 01
    "For dogs who prefer nature's toys" @ smallbatch smallbatch BIG dit al-natural whole food dets, treats & supple SOLD HER FREE STICK LIBRARY M
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    I've always loved Little Free Libraries and how they make a neighborhood feel a little more like a community, so when I opened Fern & Fur
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    Pet Supply in Portland's South Waterfront, I knew I wanted to bring that idea to our neighborhood, but make it for pets.
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    This is Angel's Toy Library, named in memory of my dog Angel. There's a free toy library for dogs and
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    cats where people can take a toy or leave a toy, a stick library for dogs who prefer nature's toys, and a small pet memorial where
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    Cats CAT TOYS .AAA MAHIN Angel's Free Little CAT & DOG TOY LIBRARY Take A Toy-Leave A Toy FREE STICK LIBRARY F Dogs et DOG TOYS! @F Tu F
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    people can leave a photo or memory of a pet they've lost and take a palm stone as a little token to remember them by. Sometimes
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  • Well isn’t this just wholesome as all heck? There is no denying the pawsitive effect a free library has on a community. Kids and adults walk past the cute contraption and are enamoured with its quaint appeal and the potential to find something that will speak to them. Playing on that good old feeling that the universe might have left something very specific for us to find amongst the brikabrak and books. And now the puppers and felines of Portland get to experience that very same mystery and wonder. 
     

  • 09
    AM He Always in our Hearts Always in our Hearts
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    we may have cuttings of pet safe plants in it to take as well! The library lives right outside Fern & Fur Pet Supply and is completely open to
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    the community. You don't have to be shopping with us or even come inside. It's just there for neighborhood pets and their people to enjoy.
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    YO smallbatch smallbatch. BIG dif al-natural whole food dets, treats & suppl SOLD HER FREE STICK LIBRARY J 111 111 MAHIN @
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  • 13
    We built the whole thing into a rolling planter, and because we're a pet supply store, of course all of the plants we used had to be pet safe too!
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  • 14
    One of the things I love about Portland is all the Little Free Libraries tucked into neighborhoods, and I wanted South Waterfront to have a
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    little bit of that same neighborhood feeling. It only seemed right that ours would be for the pets.
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  • It really goes to show that in order to get what you want in life you just need to take some small steps in the right direction. It is not by accident that Portland has so many free community libraries. It is the slow and steady work of several individuals who have stepped up to create a little magic in the lives of their local community. To take the stick and run with it if you will in the context of canines. 
     

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    If you're in Portland, come by Fern & Fur Pet Supply in South Waterfront and check out Angel's Toy Library! Bring
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    your pup to pick out a toy or stick, leave a toy for another pet, or add a memory of a pet you've loved to our memorial.
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    Avery1738 Oh that's lovely! Thank you for making this, I know so many pets are gonna enjoy this
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