Housing Hope: In Dogged Pursuit of a Home

Home: a four-letter word that symbolizes both safety and shelter. A roof over our heads is a simple yet fundamental need that not only humans deserve but animals as well; hammering this point home with each nail lovingly crafting doghouses, is avid animal advocate 28-year-old Yangchen Lhamo, the co-founder of Doghouse Bhutan.

Yangchen’s greatest inspiration is her father, a teacher both in profession and of life-lessons, who taught her at a young age the value of compassion and empathy for all sentient beings. Filled with childhood memories with her father caring for lovable strays, imparting in her not only a deep love for animals but also a desire to put her passion into action,

“My father instilled in me the importance of empathy for all living beings and to actively practice it in my life. As I grew older, I realized that through love alone the well-being of animals would not improve, I must work to be part of the solution. In turn, through my actions, I hope to inspire a positive change of attitude in our community towards the welfare of animals and a better understanding of them” shared Yangchen.

On her journey to improving animal welfare, she felt it was imperative to better educate herself first if she were to lead the change, becoming professionally certified in the specialized areas of Canine Communication, Dog Emotion and Cognition, Animal Behaviour Welfare and Pet Psychology. Through her previous employed experience, she is the creator of Bhutan’s first Dog Care program that aspires to educate organisations and establishments on humane interaction and care for the stray dogs,

“I decided to first educate myself more on animal welfare and animal behaviour, specifically in relation to free roaming dogs. With my knowledge and practical experience, I now also try to educate others. A practice-what-you-preach approach is core to mobilizing people and encouraging positive behaviour towards animals” Yangchen emphasized.

 

Courage is the adorable adopted pet and best-friend to Yangchen, who she rescued from illness and homelessness. Courage would later on return the favour and rescue Yangchen through her endearing companionship. When Yangchen is not with Courage she can be found pursuing other modes of peace and contentment in her yoga studio. Through kismet and pursuit of inner well-being Yangchen met her future collaborator and co-founder Nadine Koch in one of Yangchen’s yoga classes. Drawn by each other’s shared passions for animal care and environmental preservation, they sparked a shared fire in each other and Doghouse Bhutan was born,

“Doghouse Bhutan is a small not-for-profit passion project, co-founded by myself and my Swiss friend Nadine. The doghouses are built with generous donations from international supporters as well as our homegrown animal lovers. We build doghouses for dogs that do not have a home to protect them from wind, rain and cold. To give them a feeling of safety and security. To make them feel loved” Yangchen enthused.

The delightfully designed doghouses are distributed across monasteries, animal welfare organizations and other areas with a high concentration of dogs. The doghouses created by two carpenters, one of whom is Yangchen’s own equally passionate younger brother, and painted by volunteers with positive quotes suggested by donors. Through these bright whimsical shelters, the initiative hopes to make free-roaming dogs socialized and to co-exist peacefully with the community. Initiated this past June, Doghouse Bhutan was born to respond to a growing need for animal welfare in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic,

“As the pandemic made dog welfare even more urgent, Nadine and I saw the need to spread positivity in these challenging times and we wanted to spend our time on something meaningful to us. We are eternally grateful and inspired by the Royal Command of His Majesty the King that no stray dog should go hungry especially during the lockdown. This greatly motivated people from all walks of life to come together and help those less fortunate and pushed us to actively pursue our goals for animal wellbeing. Not only helping out people in need, but also the animals in need” smiled Yangchen.

“Doghouse Bhutan not only gives me a sense of purpose, but it also gives me a feeling of joy and a real sense of gratitude. We warmly welcome and encourage those to find us on our online platforms including our website doghousebhutan.com to learn more about our projects. Each time when Nadine and I place another doghouse and see the dogs excitedly go explore them, sleep in them and share them with several other of their furry friends, it warms my heart and brings tears of joy to my eyes. The world needs positivity more than ever before and it is important for us to be kind, compassionate and take care of each other, people and animals alike. We must remember to be the change we wish to see in this world!” beamed Yangchen.

Article contributed by Jetsuen Wangmo for the UN/JICA We Care We Share Initiative