Keeping Taylor Swift - The Dilemma

Doing the right thing

I obviously love all dogs but some tug a little harder at the heartstrings than others. Last week after 4 months of trying we were able to rescue a wonderful golden retriever and her 2 puppies.

I’d been saving up a very special name in my head for the right dog and as we led her to safety it was immediately clear to me that it was indeed Taylor Swift that was walking beside me with her 2 puppies (Christina and Teddy).

Saved From A Life Of Breeding

I can’t go into all the specifics of the backstory but at a top level…

• Chained up while pregnant in a massive heatwave without food and water

• Lost 5 of her puppies nearly immediately (I’m guessing stress related)

• I saw her getting smacked on the head for not producing milk for her puppies (as she was obviously too stressed)

• Her back legs are weak from being on cold hard concrete and she couldn’t walk properly.

• Locals had tried to sneak her food and free her

Taylor eventually got moved to private property so we couldn’t do anything for a couple of months and we had to watch as her puppies were offered up for sale.

Last week after a lot of luck and some help from kind people we were able to free Taylor. I’ve never been as happy in my life getting them out of there.

Yes She Reminds Me Of Tina

When we brought Taylor to the land the very first place she went to was Tina’s grave. She stood there and lay around the area. She probably just liked the smell of the grass but it made me smile. Had Tina sent her? Maybe.

Taylor has a very similar character and outlook on life as Tina did. Golden Retrievers all live in the moment and never look back. It’s why I love them. Could she be a puppy of Tina’s or a distant relative. Maybe.

Wearing one of Tina’s old bandanas you really would struggle to tell the difference. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to tell that I have been seriously thinking about keeping Taylor.

What Really Matters - Taylor Was One of 3367 We Sterilised In May

Strip everything away from Taylor Swift’s story and by far the most important thing that happened to her is when she got sterilised the day after she arrived. I wanted to do it super fast so as there was possible chance she could ever be used for breeding again. It was at that moment that she stopped being an ATM for breeders. Taylor was just one of…

• 3367 Dogs sterilised in countries with 7 different partners in May

• That will stop over 30,000 puppies being born into suffering

It still blows my mind that this movement has scaled up to the point where we can fund so many operations every month and I was immensely proud (and nervous) to see Taylor being operated on. Her story is easy to understand but the 3366 other dogs also had their lives changed in the last month.

Teddy Is Dog 22 Re-Homed In 2024

Little Teddy was one of Taylor’s puppies and he found a home almost immediately. My friends Mortiz and Pleng live locally, got married a month ago and have a lovely house. An ideal home for him.

We spend a lot of time and effort finding the perfect homes for dogs.

So far in 2024 we have rehabilitated and re-homed 16 dogs…

Tommy, Stitch, Buster, Hank, Cindy, Spice Girl puppies X5, Nicole Kidman, Mr Fox, Solo, Lina, Sophie and Teddy

5 more confirmed and waiting to travel…

Rusty, Libby, Toffee, Eve, Sandy

Its hard to explain how much hard work, logistics, paperwork and finding great people is involved in all this. Even a quick flick through some of the links above will show you what a life changing experience a Happy Doggo home is for one of these dogs. It’s the part of what we do that keeps me going in the dark times when I see abuse and suffering.

My Time Is Needed For Dogs Like Phoenix And Faith

Shortly after Taylor arrived my attention already had to shift to the next urgent case.

The last 48 hours has been all about helping little Faith and Phoenix. The photo on the left is what they looked like when myself and Sybille found them in cages. It is without doubt the worst case of neglect I’ve ever seen.

The photo on the right is them this afternoon. They have had…

• 3 hours of 4 vets working on them on Sunday

• 3 hours of 2 people grooming them today

• Emergency eye cleaning

• $400 of emergency work with a big eye operation to come.

I share them because their turnaround is absolutely stunning and we’ll have them back living a great life soon with their own homes. I also share them to explain just how time consuming looking after dogs is. I’d love to spend time playing, hugging and hanging out with Taylor but the simple fact is there are too many dogs like Phoenix and Faith who need help.

My time is best spent finding the money, resources and people to help save more dogs like this at scale. Nothing is more important.

Making The Hard Decisions

Every decision I make on a daily basis is predicated on how I will eventually fulfil the Happy Doggo mission of saving 250 million street dogs in my lifetime. If I am to succeed there is very little time for sentimentality or distraction. I have to say no to about 100 things to myself in an internal dialogue every single day. Some examples…

• I live in an incredibly simple house where all I need are my bed, shower, laptop and very fast internet. Theres nothing else that helps me with my mission so I don’t need it.

• Collecting dogs is where most rescues fail. It’s very very easy to do. You collect so many that all time is spent looking after them. I only have Hank with me because he had no other options and he also is low maintenance and needs a quiet life. The only other exceptions in my house are incredibly sick or dying dogs.

Every single day from trivial decisions like where to have breakfast to more complex decisions on meetings and finances I just ask myself “will this help the mission”. If the answer is no, then the answer is no. Black and white.

In an ideal world where I had less to do and more time I would love nothing more than to keep Taylor. Unfortunately I can’t.

A golden retriever like Taylor deserves all the love in the world, not just 15 minutes from me as I pop in and out during my busy day. I’d absolutely love to keep her but it’s not the best thing for her. The best thing for her is I find her a wonderful big loving family where she can have her magical life. You can apply here.

If I’m lucky enough to live to 70 and have made some big progress on this mission with a huge team around me, that will be the time to rescue my own golden retriever.

I can envision a day where I am working at a slower pace and its just the 2 of us walking down a beach and I’m telling the dog about Tina, Taylor and the other 250 million dogs we’ve saved. I want the time to be able to dedicate my life to that one dog and throw a tennis ball or a stick and watch the sun set. Unfortunately that time is just not now.

Theres a reason why we were able to sterilise 3367 dogs in May and that is because I said no to so many other opportunities and interesting things that come my way. It’s the same reason we’ll soon be sterilising 100,000s of dogs per year and changing the world for dogs across the globe. Making this mission work takes complete focus and zero wavering from the bigger picture. I love Taylor deeply already but I know what I need to do for the sake of the mission but also for her.

I’ll brace myself for the barrage of comments telling me I’m wrong! I just have a duty to the bigger picture and a huge responsibility to deliver on what I have promised to you all.

The decisions aren’t easy but if they were the global problem would already be fixed.

I hope you are all well.

Big Love

Niall

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