7 Invaluable Life Lessons Street Dogs Have Taught Me

Featuring McMuffin, Derek, King Whacker And Hope

Scrolling online the world feels like a dark place right now. Cost of living crisis, war, impending recession and people arguing about politics. There is a lot of anger and bad news. I generally just post my dog videos and try to get back out to the real world as quickly as possible. Life is just as hard for the street dogs but at least I feel like I can often make an instant positive difference there.

I would say at least 90% of my day is spent with dogs. Either feeding the street dogs, helping them recover at the land or with my own 3 at home. They can teach us so much about positivity and life in general.

These are the life lessons I’ve picked up recently from these wonderful creatures that can hopefully help us all…

1. McMuffin - Never Give Up

You couldn’t be more down than McMuffin when I found her. She had huge cancerous tumours all over her body. She was covered in over 500 blood sucking ticks and what struck me the most was the stench of rotting flesh from her. We had to hold our heads out the car window when driving her to the vet.

4 months later McMuffin is the life and soul of the place. She helps other suffering dogs by a therapy dog. To anybody who has depression, is grieving, has chronic pain or illness, McMuffin is a great example to just never give up.

I know many of us feel like quitting or throwing in the towel at times but this little dog is proof that there are 2nd chances out there if you stick at it and never give up.

2. Hope - Some Problems Need Patience

We all want to fix our issues or problems instantly. Make them go away. After being shot with a nail gun, cut with a machete and suffered untold other abuse, Hope was really shut down. There was no quick fix. Time and patience was the only medicine she really needed.

2 full months later and she has started to socialise, play, come on walks and interact with humans. Hope has taught me that some problems are just slow burners. We can’t fix everything in our lives with a quick click of the fingers.

3. Whacker - Don’t Live In The Past

After someone tried to kill him by splitting his head open with a pickaxe you wouldn’t blame King Whacker for no longer trusting humans or shutting down completely and becoming aggressive.

He is the opposite. He loves human company and lives in the moment. He hasn’t let what happened to him define his life and has bounced back even better turning his new situation into a positive. Thats an incredible skill that I haven’t mastered myself but King Whacker has shown me that is the best way to live life. Don’t let your past define you.

4. Derek - Never judge a book by it’s cover

The vet couldn’t believe that Derek was still standing when she saw his test results. He looked horrendous and was hours from death. Any touch was panful for him. With some medicine, care, shelter and love, Derek is transforming as a dog before our eyes.

There are probably a lot of people we write off in life at a quick glance. People sleeping rough, people with addictions or others who are just down on their luck. Sometimes just like dogs people just need some basic supports in life to get back on their feet. You never know what struggles people have going on.

5. Beyoncé - Never Underestimate The Power Of A Mother

I picked Beyoncé out of all the mothers I have come across because she now has 6 wonderful dogs who are all alive because of her. She nearly staved herself to death keeping them alive. I see this with mothers on a daily basis who do anything to beat the odds and give their offspring a chance.

Working with dogs has made me appreciate the sacrifices, pain, determination and sheer bloody mindedness of mums.

6. Chopper And Lucky - Never Take A Second For Granted

The two dogs that captivated us all. They ran down the hill with infectious tail wagging and just had that something special about them. Lucky had always been alone until little Chopper arrived and captured her heart. Then they just vanished.

Nobody misses them more than me (and I hope they are safe somewhere) but they also taught me to enjoy every single second in life and do special things like their big beach day out. Thats a memory that nobody can ever take away. Enjoy the company of those you love as they just might not be there tomorrow.

7. Lady Diana - A Week Is A Long Time

One minute she is having emergency surgery and looking like she might not live. The next she is being treated like the puppy princess she is by her foster family.

This week I also had depression and a fog descended but it has now thankfully cleared. The lesson Lady Diana has taught me is that even when things look bad and you are in the middle of it all, a week is a long time. Just hang in there, do the right things and nearly anything can be turned around. The brightest days always come after the biggest storms.

For many people looking at them they might just be a bunch of silly street dogs. I’m glad they have helped shape my life and taught me new lessons. Hopefully sharing their little stories does the same for some of you.

Have a lovely weekend wherever you are in the world.

Big love

Niall

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