This was the site of the village's stray animal pounds and a smithy.

They were taught how to deal with potentially dangerous situations, use bear flares - alarms to frighten stray animals off - and took turns on bear watches.

If a straying animal was sighted, a call to the local stationmaster would rapidly allay the danger.

You can avoid stray animals sneaking into the house by buying a lockable flap.

Some worked at shelters for stray animals.