The Year of the Dog is likely to be well observed in Thailand, a nation of pet lovers. But while many lavish attention on their four-legged friends, for some the charms of dog ownership wane after the cute puppy grows up. That has led to an astonishing rise in the number of stray dogs in Thailand, now estimated to be over eight million. But one enterprising dog owner is trying to rehabilitate the image of the strays…from pests to security guards…as Tony Cheng reports.

They say that dogs are man's best friend, but the sentiment may not be shared. These strays just outside Bangkok are part of a massive population in the Thai capital. Abandoned, beaten, and ignored. Their plight caught the attention of Thanawat, who works nearby and started bringing them food.

THANAWAT MEELAP DOG CARER "I feel sorry for them. At first I didn't really care about them, but I started to feed one, and it became a habit."

Now he looks after hundreds of strays delivering food after work and trying to get them medical care. He's also been working with a local charity to get as many strays neutered as possible. Unchecked and unmonitored the stray dog population of Bangkok has ballooned to eight hundred thousand.

DAYIN PETCHARAT SOS ANIMALS THAILAND "Thai people take care of stray dogs out of a sense of mercy. They feed them but have no understanding about neutering them, and there's no law to control them."

But one man decided to do more than just feed the strays.

PAKORNKRIT KHANTAPRAB CHEIL CREATIVE TEAM "The inspiration for this idea came from what we've seen in Thailand or anywhere. You can see stray dogs being mistreated, sometimes abandoned on the streets, people just neglect dogs"

He's invented a vest, that can be fitted to stray dogs, transforming them from unwanted pests into security guards.

'The voice detection is inside this,its  like a mic…a microphone.'

That voice detection module is activated by barking and not just any barking. The algorithm inside can detect a warning bark and that turns the camera on. Early tests have been positive. Dogs have proved themselves expert in detecting unwanted visitors or potential thieves. Other threats like snakes, that humans might not observe, are easily noticed by the dogs. And an early warning system for fires. The company is hoping to sell the system to local communities, and possibly police forces.

TONY CHENG BANGKOK Because the company is still in development they don't actually have any dogs working with them at the moment. So I've got a volunteer here. His name is Stanley, he's 12 years old and born in Beijing, and today he's going to volunteer as a security dog.

The vest fits easily and off Stanley goes on his rounds. His sensitive nose picks up all sorts of scents and then a bark. But it seems Stanley hadn't detected any danger,he just wanted a treat.. Tony Cheng, CGTN, Bangkok.