Thai student turns discarded billboards into shelters for stray dogs

A Thai design student converted discarded billboards into environmentally friendly shelters to protect stray dogs from heavy rain and heatwaves.

Ajarn Yossaphon Chanthongjeen, who is based in Thailand, founded Stand for Strays to improve the welfare of homeless canines in the country’s urban areas.

A survey conducted by the Thai Department of Livestock Development in 2016 found that 750,000 out of 6.7 million dogs in Thailand are strays.

Focusing on the overpopulation of stray dogs, Stand for Strays creates both short-term and long-term solutions to tackle the problem.

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Their Homeless Allot Model is one such solution. It offers a functional shelter crafted completely from recycled materials, primarily reusing old billboards. The shelter features an angled billboard roof which covers a raised platform with metal bowls with food and water for furry friends to rest and fuel up in a safe, dry and hygienic space.

The design can be built anywhere with a wall it can connect to, including sidewalks, alleys and fences. For the short term, stray dogs are protected from the heavy rain, flooding and intense heat. Long term, the shelters can bring awareness, garner interest and inform community members about finding stray dogs solutions in Thailand with information and contacts written on the recycled billboards.

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Additionally, pedestrians and passersby can easily set up the shelter when they see a stray dog in need. They can just as easily fold away the temporary home when it is not in use. Because the shelter is painted in plain black and white, the shelter subtly blends in with its surroundings and is not invasive, preventing the landscape from being unnecessarily altered.

Images courtesy of Stand for Strays