A man in Thailand has invented a small, foldable shelter made out of recycled billboards to help stray dogs. Ajarn Yossaphon Chanthongjeen came up with the solution while at university studying for his doctorate and working with a local animal charity.
He noticed the many street dogs in his community of Pak Kret, a suburb of Bangkok, often didn’t have adequate shelter from the heavy rains and sweltering sun and came up with the “Stand for Strays.”
Stand for Strays / Yodsa Gap
Using old billboard materials, the shelters are constructed so they are raised off the ground and are foldable and mountable to walls and fences and along roadsides. The project aims to provide the dogs with a place to rest and shelter and where it would be easy for locals to provide food and water for the animals.
The portable shelters can be placed anywhere in the city and folded up when not being used. It’s currently being piloted in various communities throughout Thailand.
From photos and video that the Stand For Strays Facebook group is sharing, the dogs appear to intuitively know that the shelters are made for them.
Stand for Strays / Yodsa Gap
The dogs use them day and night.
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The small platform shelters are a hit with people too, with many animal lovers applauding the initiative while others are sharing photos of the dogs using the “mounted tents.”
The temporary shelters are meant as a means to help the thousands of street dogs that roam throughout the country.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Animal Husbandry Development of Thailand in 2016, there are about 750,000 stray dogs in Thailand and this number continues to grow.
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Further information on the Stand For Strays project can be found on their website (note in Thai language).
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