Designer Ayeshabanu Shabir Mussa for JD Design Awards 2022 went ahead with structuring a dog shelter and gave the audience an immersive experience of it with the help of Virtual Reality Technology.

Paws- Dog Shelter aims to raise awareness about adoption of dogs. There are only a handful of existing animal shelters in Bangalore, India, compared to the sheer number of dogs in the streets. The shelters, therefore, get overwhelmed and cannot cater to the needs of all the dogs in need of help on the streets. (www.disabilityhelpcenter.org) As opposed to the existing shelters that take in other animals including horses, pigs, goats, and more Paws- Dog Shelter will solely focus on the street dogs that require attention; and it will also act as an education center where workshops could happen as a means of raising awareness about the situation of the street dogs in India and to encourage the adoption of Indie breed dogs.

The dog shelter is one of a kind that not only provides shelter to the stray dogs but necessary treatments are also provided. Moreover, it is also a space where dogs would also get spayed and neutered, therefore effectively helping out the government in its mission to reduce the number of street dogs.

To showcase her project, Ayesha used the VR tech and gave the visitors a walk through of her project. Paws- Dog Shelter also received the Best Virtual Experience Award from JD Design Awards 2022.