Bay View neighbor opens Little Free Dog Library, paying it forward in honor of her 'soul dog'

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — A Bay View neighbor is using her love for her dogs as inspiration to help other dog owners.

When walking on Woodward Street north of Lincoln Avenue, you're now greeted by Leeloo's smiling face.

"She just lived her life with such joy. She was just so special in a way that I can't describe," said Jennifer Baez, who lost her beloved pup in July.

Now, Baez is memorializing Leeloo by giving back.

"I wanted to turn such a difficult time into a beautiful, like, new thing," she said.

A few months ago, Baez saw the idea of a Little Free Dog Library online.

Bay View has plenty of Little Free Libraries stocked with books for humans, but this one is for the fur-babies.

"We don't have something like this yet, and so I thought it would be a really good addition, and something special that would make our community even better," Baez said.

She bought the library from a woodworker in Madison, ordered a plaque for Leeloo, and filled it with pet supplies for anyone to take.

"Right now we have dog food, treats, poop bags, books, there's a little hat in there that Leeloo used to wear," Baez explained.

Her hope is that neighbors will always help keep it stocked, especially with poop bags and treats.

"It would be kind of cool to see if there's dogs who kind of anticipate it and are excited," Baez laughed. "They know they're coming up to this house, they know, oh, this is where I get my treat!"

In the summer, the bottom part will be a mini community garden, because Leeloo loved vegetables.

"As much as we can fit in there, we'll grow, and people can snip whatever they want to and take home," she said.

Baez and her fluffy pack of poms are paying it forward, all for the love of dogs.

"It brings the joy that she brought to me every day, and I'm really happy to be able to share that and to be able to honor her." she said.