When the rainy season comes, where do our fur-friends take shelter? While some of them have a place to keep themselves warm, dry, and protected from bad weather, some have nowhere to go. The problem is that we have a big population of stray cats and dogs around the neighbourhood, and the streets of El Nido can be very hot during the day and very dangerous at night as tourist ride motorbikes with no street lights, this leaves these animals with little to no place to take refuge during inclement weather.
An idea came to our mind after noticing the excess tarpaulins from election campaign marketing posters posted all over town that would undoubtedly end up in trash or disintegrate into microplastics–most likely along the shorelines of our beautiful beaches too.
Election season was over so we asked our friendly neighbours if we could have some of the tarps posted on their premises. With a heap of recycled materials on hand, we thought about ways in which we could make use of them.
Given that we value the welfare of animals, we thought of doing a simple project to show some love and compassion for our stay cats and dogs of the streets of El Nido.
We called this project “Dog Sheds for a Cause” and paired it with our active feeding program to give the dogs on the streets access to food. Apart from being able to shelter and feed the strays, this initiative will also help us catch the dogs easily for the upcoming spaying season as they become familiar and tamed in their new territory. Truly hitting three birds with one stone.
We proceeded with the project by first gathering readily available materials such as wood, tarpaulin, plywood, and bamboo strips and then assembling the sheds accordingly. We also collected a bunch of milk cartons provided by our generous merchant, Islas Makinas, from Kalye Artisano to serve as recycled dog food containers to be placed in their sheds.
* If you are interested in building your own dog or cat shed, you may download the file below for the materials and instructions.
By spreading love and compassion through carrying out this project, as well as sharing the steps in making animal sheds, we hope you can partake in this cause too. A small impact can be made stronger if we help each other.
We envision a friendlier and healthier place for animals here in El Nido, this is why KAre recognizes the welfare and needs of animals. We strive to make a difference, no matter how big or small. Every decision towards the greater good counts. This project is made out of love and KAre, as always.
To see the blueprint for crafting your own dog and cat shed, click the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17nY3L7yNv71ZadQVNV3h_8yf0As5zkB5/view?usp=sharing