HOUSTON – Aliesha Medley is a residential general contractor by trade, but these days a lot of the homes she builds are on a much smaller scale.
Using social media, the self-proclaimed dog lover has been raising money to build free dog houses for pups that don't have proper shelters.
"Right now in Houston, we don't have a city ordinance for no tethering and we don't have any kind of ordinances about what is a proper shelter," Medley said.
She formed the group Houston's Huts for Mutts and so far, with the help of donations, she has built about 30 dog houses, which cost about $40 to build. They're made of plywood and she can make one in less than a half hour.
"What we want to do is at least give them something to get out of the cold rain, the sleet, the snow and up off the ground," Medley said.
KPRC 2 tagged along as she delivered one to Robert Brewster of Houston's Third Ward. He typically keeps his pit bull mix, Big Head, on a leash attached to a tree.
"I take him inside the house, but when I leave he tears up the house," Brewster said.
He isn't trying to be malicious by tying Big Head to a leash, but until Medley showed up, he didn't have the means to give his pup a proper shelter.
"I'm very grateful. I mean God is good," Brewster said.
Now Medley is trying to attract more volunteers, such as church groups or boy scouts, who would want to help her build the free houses on a much larger scale.
To learn more about Houston's Huts for Mutts and how you can volunteer or donate, check out the Facebook page, Houston's Huts for Mutts.