Set up a ball library at the dog park

Where do the local dogs do their laps?

That park gets a ball library: a container of spare balls with a hand-made sign, free to borrow, returns optional. Fill it with the stray balls every dog park hides in its bushes or the spares at the bottom of your cupboard.

At the park, the brick is the trick: weighted, never fixed to anything, and a quick check of what your council allows keeps it simple. Prefer it closer to home? Your front fence works too, fixed on properly, where every passing dog becomes a regular.

Balls rather than sticks on purpose: vets patch up enough stick injuries to advise against throwing them.

How to do this

1. Gather intact balls: spares from home, rinsed strays.
2. Find a rain-proof tub. Drainage holes, brick taped in flat.
3. Sign in permanent marker: “Borrow a ball, bring one back.”
4. Somewhere visible: freestanding at the park, or fixed at home.
5. Snap a photo. Bin split balls whenever you pass. Done.

Source for the stick advice: British Veterinary Association, “The perils of throwing sticks for your dog”.