How one man left the corporate world to save the global street dog population
Spending his mornings feeding 80 street dogs from his moped in Thailand, one man is on a mission to halve the world's population of street dogs.
Niall Harbison, HappyDoggo founder who moved to Koh Samui after spending years in the "rat race" of the corporate world, said he wanted to do "something meaningful."
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Harbison explained where the roots of Happy Doggo began.
Harbison highlighted how, unlike the Western world, street dogs are everywhere in many countries. "I'm obsessed with dogs, like a lot of people," Harbison began, saying how he began feeding some of the dogs he was meeting on the streets, but said the street dog problem seemed enormous.
@happydoggoniall Feeding 80 Thai street dogs their dream meal amd a bone #dogs #dogsoftiktok #dog #rescuedog #puppies #puppiesoftiktok ♬ Summer Vlog (Upbeat Party and Uplifting Dance Background) - TrendingMusic
"One day, I just met one dog called Lucky, and I fed her, and she was in the middle of the jungle. And then I was like, well, she's probably waiting for me the next day. So I just went back and fed the next day and the next day. And then suddenly it was four, and then it was eight dogs. And then it just sort of snowballed from there. And then they just sort of started relying on me. So, it kind of organically all happened," Harbison said.
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After starting Happy Doggo in early 2021, through posting videos of helping street dogs on the island, Harbison has amassed a massive online following on both TikTok and Instagram.
(Niall Harbison/Happy Doggo TikTok)
He spends every morning going around the island to feed 80 street dogs himself, saying how the dogs have come to know the sound of his moped.
"They really latch onto you. Like now, it's literally like having a pet at home," Harbison said about giving the dogs some food and loving attention. "They're standing on the road at 5 to 8 [AM] waiting for me to arrive at 8 [AM]. Like they know their food is coming. So it's really sweet."
@happydoggoniall A year ago today, little Rodney was on the verge of death. He was covered in sores and we didn't think he'd make it. But a lot can happen in 12 months...🙌🏼 After weeks of battling to survive, Rodney pulled through. And soon, he got the news that every street dog dreams about. Rodney had been adopted by a beautiful family in Wales 🏴 Soon, he was travelling 10,000km across the world to meet his new mum and dad and doggy brother. Now, this tiny scrap of a puppy is a big boy with a big life. From walks in the Welsh hills to cuddles on the sofa, he's taken everything in his stride. We think it's safe to say Rodney is living the dream and we're SO proud of him 🥰 #streetdog #streetpuppy #rescuedog #rescuepuppy ♬ Paradise - Coldplay
Harbison says his organization now has a team of people working on this effort to feed, re-home, and sterilize street dogs. Nowadays, they are feeding collectively 800 street dogs a day, have built a sanctuary to house the sickest dogs, and sterilized 300 dogs in their first year and around 1,500 dogs last year.
"We have a Thai woman who has three helpers. They all make the food. It's all freshly made. And then, it gets delivered all over the island. So the dogs have a tough life. But at least they get a home-cooked meal every day," the Happy Doggo founder said.
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Many of the dogs they help have ended up in homes overseas, like their dog Brad Pitt who ended up finding a home in California.
"One minute they're on the streets in Thailand, and then the next minute, Brad Pitt is walking along the beach in Long Beach, California," he said.
(Niall Harbison/ @happydoggoniall on TikTok)
While re-homing dogs is the happiest, ideal notion, there are not enough people able to house the number of street dogs being born. Harbison argues the only way to truly lower the street dog population and end the perpetual suffering is to sterilize the dogs.
"I could put 500 dogs in the sanctuary tomorrow, but it wouldn't really solve the problem," Harbison said. He stressed that sterilizing the dogs has become their main focus.
@happydoggoniall 🐕 Every single day I feed 80 street dogs in Thailand 🥘 We also cook food for 800 dogs in total around the island which gets handed out by volunteers and shelters 🛵 The dogs all know the sound of the scooter coming from miles away 💊 The dogs all look so healthy because they get medicines and vet trips when needed ✂️ Every dog we can we sterilise to control populations. 2000 this year alone The truth is I could easily pay someone to do the morning feed for me given how many balls I am keeping in the air with this mission to save street dogs. I never will though and will always start my day on the moped as it keeps me close to the problem. It makes me remember why I do this. Also just showing up and being there for the dogs is important for me as someone who is a recovering alcoholic. How could you possibly let those wonderful creatures down 🥰🙏
♬ original sound - Happy Doggo
"[We're] trying to get the numbers down because that's the only way you can really like have [a] positive change, because it's just very hard for people to understand the scale of the problem. My most common message on Instagram is like, ‘oh, just take the dog home with you.’ And I'm just like, I can't just, it's impossible. You can't take every dog. So [we've] got to find practical solutions," Harbison said.
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The dog lover says their goal for 2024 is to sterilize 25,000, which they are on track to accomplish over that number.
Harbison views tackling the global street dog crisis like a "start-up," saying he is already working with other partners to continue to scale and expand the effort.
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"There's 500 million street dogs in the world, which is a lot. Like, that's more than the population of America. So I want to halve that in my lifetime, which is like, crazy. But I think I can do it," he said.
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