Yup! I'm one of those "no pets/no exception" folks. I had this conversation with a lady not even a week ago. I happened to be walking in behind her. Me: "Ma'am, I'm sorry - you can't bring dogs into the library" Lady walking into the library with huge Boxer, and now standing in the foyer: "Oh, I'm not going into the library" Me: "You are objectively standing inside the library" Lady with huge Boxer, now opening the door to the library proper: "I'm not going in, I'm just going to grab something real quick." Me: "That is still considered going into the library with a dog" Lady with huge Boxer, now holding the door and looking at me with irritation: "But we're not going in. I just have a book on reserve that I'm going to get." Me, sensing that we were getting nowhere: "Why don't I get your book and bring it out to you" -or, my other favorite - Me: "Oh! Oh my gosh. Ma'am. You cannot bring that bird inside the library." Lady, clutches pearls, looks aghast: "This parrot has performed at the library" Me: (buffering) Me: "Umm... I don't know anything about that, but you still can't bring a parrot in here." Lady: (stares in complete disbelief) Me: (stares back) Lady, sighs as if the weight of dealing with philistines like me is crushing her soul, exits. For the record, our lawyer-approved patron behavior policy has a one-sentence statement that says: "Animals are not permitted in the Library other than service animals (as defined by law) for those individuals with disabilities, those used in law enforcement or for Library programming." Briynne McCrea Director Bad Axe Area District Library 200 S. Hanselman St. Bad Axe, MI 48413 989-269-8538 bmccrea@badaxelibrary.org From: Abby Ollila via Michlib-l <michlib-l@liblists.org> Sent: Friday, July 31, 2026 10:14 AM To: michlib-l@liblists.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Pet Policies Hello, library world! I was wondering if anyone is willing to share how their library handles pets / any pet policies you have. The topic was recently raised by a patron, and before I bring it to my board, I'd love to hear how other libraries approach it. If you have a written policy or any insight into what has worked (or not worked) for your library, I'd really appreciate it. I'm also curious whether anyone had an attorney review or help draft their policy, or if you developed it internally. Thank you! Abby Ollila Director St. Ignace Public Library 110 West Spruce Street St. Ignace, MI 49781 (906) 643-8318