Street dogs gave him hope during dark days. Now he鈥檚 returning the favor.
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Jacob Posner Staff writer
In Niall Harbison鈥檚 work helping street dogs, a little kindness can go a long way.
鈥淪ometimes ... they鈥檝e seen so little hope that when you give them ... a bit of shelter or food,鈥� he says, 鈥測ou can definitely see some of them change completely.鈥�
Mr. Harbison, too, finds hope as he cares for canines. Born in Northern Ireland and raised in Brussels, the former chef has struggled with addiction for much of his life. While recovering after a near-death experience in Thailand a few years ago, he started feeding several street dogs. Those humble acts soon led him to found the nonprofit Happy Doggo, which, along with its international partners, helps hundreds of thousands of dogs each year in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. The organization provides meals for 1,200 dogs a day; neuters, spays, and vaccinates dogs; and works to rehome some canines.
Why We Wrote This
Dogs have been called man鈥檚 best friend, but the ones on Thailand鈥檚 streets are often overlooked. The nonprofit Happy Doggo strives to meet the basic needs of many canines. The group鈥檚 founder says fellow dog-lovers have taught him to 鈥渆njoy the little things in life that we have.鈥�
Much of Happy Doggo鈥檚 growth has been powered by publicity leading to individual donations, says Mr. Harbison. He notes that his large following on social media has been 鈥渕assive for us.鈥� He wrote the 2023 memoir 鈥淗ope: How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life鈥� and a new book, 鈥淭ina: The Dog Who Changed the World.鈥澛�
Mr. Harbison spoke with the Monitor鈥檚 Jacob Posner during a visit to Boston in mid-May. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: You write about dogs with great specificity and feeling. Why are you so drawn to them?聽
They鈥檙e very loyal. They live in the moment. They don鈥檛 judge you. You could come home in a suit, or you could be picking up the garbage. They don鈥檛 care what job you do, how much you earn.聽
Q: Reading your books, I was struck by how emotionally difficult the work can be.聽
What keeps me going [are the dogs] we鈥檝e saved and rehomed. I鈥檒l go on my phone and look at pictures, if I鈥檓 sad in the evening, and just see their new life. But we鈥檝e seen dogs who have been shot and poisoned, and trying to wrap your head around the human cruelty is really hard.聽
Q: Do you have an ultimate goal?聽
There鈥檚 500 million street dogs in the world. And my goal in my lifetime is to [halve] that number. To do that, it鈥檚 going to spill into legislation, government funding, and partners. So those are the next parts of the mission.聽
Q: What goes into the work of helping a street dog? We鈥檝e talked about sterilization and meals, but what else are you doing?
The dogs kind of always have the same problem: It鈥檚 where humans interact with the dogs. So it鈥檚, like, road-traffic accidents. Around farming areas, [a dog] might eat a chicken, so the farmer gets angry and does something. [There鈥檚] overpopulation, so humans, when they start to build into [dogs鈥橾 territory, the dogs get pushed out. Then [there are] diseases, fights with each other over territory, and then just general stuff like ticks and fleas. It鈥檚 a lot of different levers.聽
Q: Why do you think people are so drawn to what you do?聽
Obviously, people like dogs. The other is, I talk about depression and anxiety and addiction. I think, like, 80% of people are carrying something behind their happy face. It could be something like grief, [illness], losing a child. Everybody has some sort of baggage. I just always try to remind them that that鈥檚 fine. Like we all have something, and we should just be a bit nicer to each other. I did a book signing this morning, and some people were telling me it was even a struggle for them to come in.聽
Q: Is it difficult to have all these people sharing dark things?
I鈥檓 not going to lie; it鈥檚 hard. The only reason I share it is because when I was in my dark times, I remember trying to find [help] 鈥� there鈥檚 not much information [on how to recover from substance misuse, anxiety, or depression]. Guys, especially, are not great at talking about it. That鈥檚 why I talk about it now. I鈥檓 always so open because there鈥檚 still stigma attached to everything.
Q: You write in 鈥淭ina鈥� that it 鈥渕ay sound silly comparing my own life to dogs, but that鈥檚 what I do all the time.鈥� What do you mean?聽
There鈥檚 probably two examples. Tina was physically shackled and used for puppies, and I feel like, my whole life I was an alcoholic and mentally shackled maybe, or just not living my full potential, so I compared myself in my head to her. And then, Hope, another one, she鈥檇 been stabbed, shot with a nail gun, so she kind of reminded me of my mum, like, that she had been abused.聽
Q: What have you learned about responsibility from the experience of saving the lives of other beings?聽
I鈥檝e held a lot of dogs as they鈥檙e dying, or comforted them in the last moment. And there鈥檚 always a moment 鈥� I鈥檝e seen it, like, 10 times at least 鈥� where, just as they鈥檙e about to die, like last breath, they look at you straight in the eye. They鈥檙e just happy that you鈥檙e there, that they鈥檝e got comfort.聽
Q: You write movingly about the role of dogs in your recovery. Why do you think dogs have that power?聽
They鈥檙e very good at molding themselves around your needs, so if you鈥檙e maybe nervous, sometimes they鈥檒l comfort you. You have to walk a dog, so it gets people out of the house. I think they鈥檙e just wonderful companions, and they鈥檙e very good at understanding their owner鈥檚 needs. Dogs used to be scavenging for food outside, and they鈥檙e now in our beds.聽
Q: Are there any values you鈥檝e learned from telling stories on social media and hearing from people?
I get a lot of messages, and I see how many personal issues people have, like everything from suicide to addiction to more mundane stuff.聽
But it鈥檚 really opened me up to just be more humble and kind of enjoy the little things in life that we have. Rather than always chasing, chasing, chasing whatever it is.
Q: Can you talk more about the role that hope plays in your work?聽
If you don鈥檛 have hope, you鈥檝e got nothing. The dogs that I work with have none.
It鈥檚 a very tough environment. I think the world is a bit low on hope at the moment. But if you鈥檝e got hope, you鈥檝e got something to pin your future on.
