This Dog is Booked

OSCAR THE 160-POUND Leonberger is one-storied dog.

As the Mountain Lakes Public Library’s official reading dog, he turns equal amounts of heads, as he does pages of the children who read to him.

An established staff member for three years now, Oscar is as well read as he is bred. He boasts a host of credentials including Good Canine Citizen and is an esteemed graduate from the Top Dog training program at Garden State Canine—yes, there was a ceremony.

Most importantly, he is always willing to lend a paw–and an ear–to his adoring pint-sized fans on the ready with their favorite reads.

“Leonbergers are gentle giants,” says his human, Heather Hornby of Mountain Lakes. “They’re family dogs, and one of the pack. Oscar is a funny, unique guy. He’s enormous but a big cuddly bear.”

This is the library’s second reading dog. Their first pooch, Gus the Goldendoodle, proved equally as popular with the kids, but he retired out of state with his humans, and he has since passed.

“He was with us until he was 10. I remember because the kids had a birthday party for him with hats and books,” says Mountain Lakes Public Library Director Jennifer Lynch.

DREAM JOB

Oscar came on board almost by way of star alignment. Hornby was working at the library right when Oscar was still a young pup but in training.

“When Heather told me this, I was thinking ‘here’s our next reading dog,’” says Lynch. “He’s the sweetest guy.”

Hornby enrolled him in the same school that Gus attended, and the story has been writing itself ever since.

“He loves his job,” Hornby says. “He gets super excited and knows exactly what’s happening. It’s good for him and is mentally stimulating. “

To his young readers, Oscar is also next level star status, especially on Monday evenings when his regulars show up for bedtime stories. “The kids are very responsive and he has his regulars,” she says. “They come in their pajamas.”

So, here’s how it works in real time. Oscar walks into a welcoming committee of sorts and snuggles into his training bed ready to tune into the hand-picked stories. The unconditional affection is a given and the reading-to-petting ratio is a close call.

“They just like spending time with a dog,” says Hornby of the children. “I now bring a brush because someone asked to brush him.”

Oscar is Hornby’s third Leonberger, a breed that found its way into her home and heart decades ago when she and her husband were looking for child-friendly dogs.

“There was a breeder near our house when we were living in Michigan,” she says. “We went there on a whim.”

An established Laker for 20 years and now an empty nester, Hornby decided to certify Oscar after witnessing the effects that a therapy dog had on her father while he was in the hospital.

The therapeutic value also translates in dog time. Oscar recently lost his sister Leonberger, Coco, and has been in a bit of a depression, Lynch notes. “So, coming to the library and seeing the kids has been like his therapy, too.”

BY ELLEN S. WILKOWE