Going All In On The Dogs

A huge step

We can all learn so much from dogs. I’ve picked up 100s of little lessons from them throughout my journey but there are 2 that stand out way more than others…

1. You don’t need possessions to be happy

2. Live in the moment

With those in mind I’ve been busy making some changes in the last few weeks to help me drastically speed things up…

A New Base For My Mission

I currently live in a small 2 bedroom apartment with Jumbo, Snoop and Britney. I split my time between there, the land where there are 10 dogs recovering and the streets where I feed and help the dogs. It’s not ideal as I spend about 2-3 hours per day driving from place to place.

I decided to combine everything by getting 2 cheap shipping containers and placing them on the land. One will act as a “control centre” where I do everything dog related and the other is a place to rest my head.

They are in the middle of the jungle but there is solar power, water from a well, a bathroom and toilet and most important of all, good 4G coverage.

No Disconnect With Dogs

One of the biggest problems I’ve been having recently is that I have to do a lot of things that don’t involve dogs. Jumping on Zoom calls, looking at spreadsheets and having meetings. These things are essential to further the bigger mission but I resent time away from the dogs.

This new space will allow me to be around all the dogs 24/7. Not only can I do everything I need to here but I can also sleep here and offer a better standard of care to dogs in need. I might be looking at a budget or talking to someone on Zoom but I’ll have McMuffin, Tina or Snoop right beside me. The best of both worlds.

Am I Not A Bit Crazy?

I’m acutely aware that people will think I will turn into “the crazy dog man” who just ends up spending his days looking after 20 sicks dogs and getting dragged down by the problem. I’m incredibly conscious of avoiding that as I’ve seen it happen to others all over the world.

My way of thinking is that from that small simple shipping container I will be able to solve the street dog problem around the world. Communication tools (Zoom, Google, Social Media etc) are all free and practical.

Where better to fix the problem than by sitting right in the middle of it and seeing it first hand every single day. The walls will be covered with things like this survey of the island we are planning to figure out how many dogs there are on the island and to quickly fix that problem here in 2023. I’ll walk into that container with only one goal every single day… how to improve the quality of living for street dogs around the world.

The Possessions I Do Need

There are of course some simple things that I need to help the dogs on a daily basis…

• A good laptop

• My iPhone to make dog content

• My moped for getting around

• T-shirts, Shorts, hats and flip flops

When I say there is nothing else I need to own in life thats literally what I mean. I’m purposely ridding myself of every single possession so I can focus 100% on the problem at hand.

How Long Will I Do This For?

This isn’t just some whim. This is for the rest of my life. I’m 43 years old now so if my health holds up I’d ideally love to get a 30 year crack at solving this problem. It will easily take that long given how many countries in the world have street dogs. Truth be told it will take even longer than that so I’ll have to put systems in place quickly to make sure this isn’t just about me but rather a larger collective of people around the world helping.

But Seriously, Why?

As I said at the start dogs can teach us so much. I learn a lot from them. Here is a tiny sample of the reasons for doing this…

• Pure focus. The problem is so big and so complex that it will take my whole life. For me every second counts.

• Put my money where my mouth is. I can put all of my savings and every penny I have into a clinic and bigger solutions to help dogs.

• I could die tomorrow. I feel like this is my life’s work so why wait around and try to do things in the future? The dogs are suffering right now around the world. If I didn’t put in this level of effort and try it and I was laying there tomorrow dying I wouldn’t want to be thinking “ah I wish I had done X or Y”.

• To lead by example. The mission resonates with lots of people around the world. I feel like I am blessed and entrusted by so many people to solve street dog suffering. Dedicating my life to it and getting rid of all distractions is the very least I can do to repay that support.

• I love dogs. Pretty obvious one but I love being in their company and helping them because they help me and my mental health too. Imagine getting to wake up in the middle of the jungle and immediately start helping dogs. I know many people would give anything to be in that position so I’m going to embrace it fully.

This drawing someone sent me featuring the dogs this week confirmed I’d made the right decision.

From my little containers in the jungle I can dream up and do anything. Save more dogs, plan the opening of a clinic, write a book, branch into other countries, do interviews, research ways to grow faster, find talented people around the world to help, create structures and generally raise awareness. Every tool I need will be there in that container. A glance out the window to see a dog like Derek will remind me why I’m trying so hard.

It is radical and a big step but ultimately its just a way to save more street dogs and to save them faster than I currently am.

Big Love

Niall

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