By Marissa Creamer
Rowan Public Library
It’s been a terrible day. Deadlines are piling up at work, you got a speeding ticket on the way home, and you have no idea what you’re going to make for dinner.
As you open the front door, you are greeted by a purring, chatty feline (or perhaps a bouncy, tail-wagging pup) who is excited to see you and hear all about your day. Tension begins to melt away in the presence of your affectionate companion.Most pet owners would agree that the love and companionship that a pet offers creates a valuable emotional bond. There is growing evidence that pet owners enjoy specific health benefits as well, including lower systolic blood pressure, triglyceride values and cholesterol levels. This is good news for the growing number of pet owners in the United States, where about 60 percent of all households now report owning a pet.
There seems to be a corresponding increase in new books directed at pet lovers. Whether your loyalties lie with dogs, cats, birds, fish or reptiles, Rowan Public Library has something for you.
“Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World,” tells the story of a tiny orange kitten left in the library drop box in Spencer, Iowa. After charming the staff with his trusting nature, Dewey becomes the official library cat of the Spencer Public Library.
Over the next 19 years, Dewey serves as a library ambassador and garners worldwide attention. Dewey’s story is recounted by Vicki Myron, Spencer Public Library director and Bret Witter.
Feline fanciers will also enjoy “The Cats of Kittyville: New Lives for Rescued Felines,” by Bob Somerville. Kittyville is part of the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the United States: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.
Best Friends is home to 2,000 abandoned and abused animals, many with special needs. The ultimate goal is to find for all of Kittyville’s residents what one volunteer calls their “own personal human.”
Meet Roo, who doesn’t let the fact that he doesn’t have any front legs slow him down. He perches like a kangaroo and takes a flying leap across the room.
Opal, with her beguiling blue eyes, was found in a roadside trash dumpster when she was just a tiny kitten. A genetic defect makes it difficult for her to walk properly, but her adoptive human reports that “She’s actually capable of jumping up, splaying out her arms and legs in all directions, executing a full 360-degree twist, unassisted, midair, somehow managing to fly four feet across the room, without once touching the ground, and ending in a double-back semi-round-off back flip.”Dog lovers will enjoy “Dogtown: Sanctuary for Rescued Dogs,” also by Bob Somerville. Dogtown is the section of Best Friends Sanctuary which houses dogs rescued from places such as puppy mills, the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and from the fighting in Beirut, Lebanon. Y
You can learn more about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary by visiting their Web site, www.bestfriends.org. Learn about Faithful Friends Animal Sanctuary, a local animal rescue group formed for the purpose of starting a no-kill animal sanctuary in Rowan County, at their Web site: www.faithfulfriends nc.org.
Other new pet books you can find at Rowan Public Library include “Marley, a Dog Like No Other,” John Grogan’s pared-down-for-children version of the bestselling “Marley and Me”; “Do Cats Hear With Their Feet?” by Jake Page; “Can We Have One? A Parent’s Guide to Raising Kids with Cats and Dogs,” by Lynn F. Buzhardt; and “The Modern Dog: A Joyful Exploration of How We Live with Dogs Today,” by Stanley Coren.
Computer classes: Classes are free. Sessions are 90 minutes long. Class size is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Dates and times are subject to change without notice.
Headquarters ó Monday, 7 p.m., Yahoo e-mail ó Beyond the Basics; Thursday, 2:30 p.m., Open Office Up Close ó Impress.
South ó Tuesday, 11 a.m., Trip Planning.
Children’s Storytime: February-April, weekly story time. For more information, call 704-216-8234.
Headquarters ó Monday or Wednesday, 11 a.m., Tiny Tots and Moms (infants-18 months); Tuesday, 10 a.m., Toddlers and Kinfolks (18-24 months), and 11 a.m., Toddlers and Kinfolks (24-36 months); Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Three through Five; 4 p.m., Noodlehead (4-8 years).
South ó Monday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool Time (3-5 years), 4 p.m., Noodlehead (4-8 years); Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Toddlers and Twos (12-36 months); Thursday, 10:30 a.m., Baby Time (0-12 months).
East ó Tuesday or Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., Preschool (2-5 years); Thursday, 11 a.m., Baby Time (6 months-2 years).
Tuesday Night at the Movies: All movies are at 6:30 p.m. All movies are rated G, PG or PG 13; some movies are inappropriate for younger audiences. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Free popcorn and lemonade.
Movies about basketball.
Tuesday, “Eddie”; March 31, “Like Mike.”
Displays: Headquarters ó artwork by Fred Young; South ó photography by DB Images, Daryl Brewton; East ó 4-H.Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.