Time to explain some things happening in terms of the bigger picture of this overall mission. As always there are lots of moving parts with so many dogs in need but today feels like a time when things are really starting to come together.
The scale is equal parts exciting and terrifying…
Introducing Happy Doggo
You might have seen the Happy Doggo brand pop up here and there online as it was being developed. This is a key step in terms of making the mission official and giving it credibility around the world.
The website gives you an overview of what we are trying to do and you can now follow on Instagram and Youtube. The goals for me personally when thinking of Happy Doggo are…
Build a global organisation
Create fun, educational and inspiring content
Attract brilliant people so as it’s not about me personally but rather about the global mission of Happy Doggo… We want to fix the global street dog problem.
Building Out A Global Organisation
What I’ve always said I want to do is build out a global organisation. This entire mission has to be about much more than me. I could get hit by a truck tomorrow and if that happened this needs to be self sustaining. Something that lasts and grows with or without me.
With that in mind…
Happy Doggo is now a UK registered charity
Happy Doggo will soon be an official USA charity
We’ve found some great trustees and other crucial people to help make this all work seamlessly and transparently.
Our focus will be mainly as a grant giving organisation. So we will help others with funding to speed up sterilising efforts.
Building out proper adoptions, volunteer programmes (soon I promise) and other ways for people to get involved.
A brilliant team is already being assembled around the world. More on that in the next update.
What you’ll see in the coming weeks will be exactly the same from me personally but you’ll also see everything I’ve been aiming for coming to life in the form of a global organisation that will help fix the global street dog problem. We are thinking very big!
Balancing The Dogs Day To Day
I have so many great plans, ideas and a vision to turn into reality but the biggest struggle is always getting distracted by sick dogs and issues on the ground…
Derek has been very sick. The liquid below was drained from around his heart and lungs this week. After 2 weeks of tests and several vet trips it now looks like it could be an infection but there were times where I thought we’d lose him.
Big Shaq is waiting for his operation this week. He has a huge tumour on his neck that we are going to have removed.
The usual food has to be provided for 800 dogs a day, we funded 261 Sterilisations in October alone and there are always endless vet visits.
In truth this is the stuff I love doing the most as it is so immediate and the results can be seen nearly instantly. Having said that to save millions of dogs I need to find time to do the paperwork, admin and finding funding and raising awareness that is needed to take this to the next level. Not an easy balancing act.
Tina’s Hospital
I get asked about this 10-15 times per day. Everybody is super supportive and wants to see it built. The appetite to fundraise and contribute is huge and I wish I could start digging the foundations right beside her and Snoop’s resting place tomorrow. Good things take time though. The good news…
In the last couple of weeks I’ve agreed to expand the land I have to 2X the size. This will allow the hospital to be built
I had to also secure a long lease to ensure we can build properly. Tina’s hospital for dogs who aren’t doing so good will be around for a long time into the future.
I have some of the funding already secured.
The things that I still need to do…
Thai foundation to run the hospital as a non profit
Permits for operating with vets and staff etc
Build budget and ongoing funding secured with full budgets presented
Unfortunately those things can’t happen overnight no matter how much I wish they could. There is real progress happening and the goal is still to open the hospital officially in August 2024 a year after Tina died.
You’ll see a lot more happening before then though including Tina T Shirts which will go on sale before the holiday season as promised.
The Emotional Toll
You might have noticed I’ve not done an email in a month. I’ve been behind on all aspects of my life. Drowning a little in the sheer volume of stuff to get done. As everybody knows I am a serious introvert by nature and prefer my own company but in the last 2-3 months I’ve…
Traveled to UK & Ireland twice
Traveled around the USA
Met thousands of wonderful dog lovers in person
Had endless meetings with people online and in person to build out the whole organisation and everything I want to do for the dogs
Lost my dog Snoop who I had for 11 years
Lost Tina the most special creature ever
I don’t want to seem like I am complaining. I’m blessed to have this life and this level of support. I just got hit from so many sides recently in terms of the emotional and physical toll. My body and brain has been broken for the last 2-3 weeks as I recovered and get ready for the next big phase.
I’ve been running on empty and with that comes self doubt. Should I have written the book? Have I aimed too high? Was it worth traveling to America and exhausting myself? Should’t I be further along now given the support I have? Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
Those are the things that run through my mind and I doubt myself on. Thats why I love writing these updates as it reminds me of all the good happening away from the fog of my tired brain!
The Cold Hard Numbers Show Real Progress
Without drilling into everything it only takes a look at the number of dogs being sterilised to see that real change is happening…
2022 there were 302 Dogs Sterilised
2023 is on track with forecast to have at least 3000 Dogs sterilised
2024 we are planning for between 20,000 and 30,000 dogs sterilised
Those are very easy numbers to write down and just read them and gloss over. Getting the finances, structures and admin in place to make them happen is a whole other story.
More importantly though each dog sterilised means dozens of lives saved. If you only took a very low number of 10 potential puppies per dog (It’s much higher in reality) not being born that means 2023 will see 30,000+ dogs not born into suffering. I feel and see real progress on the ground in Thailand already where I am with less dogs suffering.
The data we have of sterilisations on this map proves that also. Every dot on that map saves lives.
Every Life Counts
While the big picture is progressing I see so many examples on a daily basis of dogs (and crucially also their humans) having their lives changed for the better. Out of dozens I love these two recently…
Cranberry came to one of my walks in the USA. He’d been in a shelter for a year but the power of this community got him a home. An incredible story.
After leaving the warm streets of Thailand where he was nearly killed with pick axe, King Whacker is now in Scotland where his owners bought him a winter coat as he was getting cold! An incredible sight.
Savings 1000s of lives at scale is great but the individual stories are what make it so real and rewarding and tangible.
People who follow me have picked up on the tiredness and travel. I’ve shared less content, I’ve been more stretched than usual and I’ve spent less time on my scooter with my beloved dogs. Thats OK though because I’m back now writing this on the land with dogs all around me in my happy place.
The progress is real and I feel so happy to have so many people supporting me. I never want to let the dogs down but I also don’t want to let everybody who follows along on this journey down either. I am so blessed to get to do this.
The last 2 months of the year will have a constant stream of good news and big exciting things happening. This is very much just a drop in the ocean compared to what is coming. Time to try save million of dogs.
Hope you have a lovely Sunday wherever you are.
Big Love
Niall
P.S You can always support my mission by either donating here or just subscribing to this newsletter.
Dearest Niall, I’m in Ireland, years of Project Management experience, loads in construction and I lecture at 3 universities. Can I help with the admin, scope, schedule, budgets? I work in global teams all the time.
Dear Niall, Thank you for the updates. Yes, you should have written the book. It spread the news about the dogs & your mission & raised money for Tina's hospital. You have done so very much & yet are very hard on yourself. Keep going, one step at a time. But take time for yourself & your health, physical & emotional. We can see the amazing work you are doing, even after losing your beloved Snoop & Tina. Writing it down is good, so you can see the progress in black & white. Sending you & all the doggos much love from Canada. 🙏💜🐕🐶🇨🇦