Soldiers have to be prepared to make a shelter in all sorts of terrain. What they don't often do is make a shelter for a dog.

But that's exactly what some soldiers from 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown did this week.

The Oromocto SPCA needed several new houses for the dogs it cares for, so the soldiers helped out.

The Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering trains soldiers to be combat engineers and carpenters.

Some soldiers at Base Gagetown have helped the SPCA build new dog houses for the organization. (CBC News) Don Dubois, the commandant at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering said he wants to be sure all his soldiers keep their skills sharp in between courses.

"Some of these students can wait several weeks to several months for training and so we look for these types of opportunities both on the base and in the local community that strengthens the relationship between the community and the base and keeps these soldiers busy," said Dubois.

This isn't the first time Support Base Gagetown has helped the SPCA.

The school built their current dog houses six years ago. But as the SPCA started to fill up, it approached the army once again.

The SPCA provided the material and now they have 10 new dog houses, which also have removable roofs.

Oromocto SPCA's Katherine Greer-Hulme said she was thankful for the soldiers' work on the dog houses.

"Just to watch the expertise of them building these dog houses, knowing that they're doing this for such a good cause, it's heartwarming," said Greer-Hulme.