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Mail Tribune file photo This scene won't be noticed much longer at the Ashland library -- because canines are crowding human readers, dogs will no longer be allowed in starting May 1. Leave Fido at home Ashland library cancels canine-friendly policy By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND -- Dogs allowed in the library is one of those things that "made Ashland special," as a patron put it. But because user volume has more than tripled since librarian Bob Wilson started the policy 26 years ago, dogs will be barred from the building starting May 1. "We started the policy because people were leaving their dogs outside and they would bark and block the entrance," Wilson said. "But having dogs inside has just gotten to be too much. Dogs sleep in the aisle and people have tripped over them. I've had to walk outside around the building just to get to my office because it's just too crowded with people and dogs." Owners who bring dogs into the library often ignore them, Wilson said, not noticing how much space they're taking up or that they're sleeping in aisles. Several patrons, he added, have told him "it's time to put a stop to it." "I was very disappointed dogs won't be allowed," said book publisher Mark Kasten, whose husky-border collie Sasha has been "well-loved and well-behaved" at the library. "It will definitely discourage me from spending time in the library. I like to get comfortable with her and relax and research in the psychological and philosophical books and magazines," Kasten said. Wilson said he's received only one complaint about the policy, a note saying the "dogs allowed" policy is one of the things that "made Ashland special." As for dogs being tied outside unattended, a new city ordinance bans that practice. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA