The Power Of Dogs

Some massive wins

Anybody who has a dog or knows the love these creatures bring will be aware of how important each life is. I’m lucky enough to meet many great dogs on a daily basis but most of them have the odds heavily stacked against them.

My mission is to save millions of dogs at scale but what struck me this week was the real impact you can have on individual dogs which in turn helps humans…

Lady Back Walking

When Lady arrived last week she was in a horrific state. She was covered in fleas and ticks and after shearing her like a sheep, it took 3 washes to get her clean. She had horrific anemia and blood parasites. That was all before you took into account the fact she couldn’t walk apart from dragging herself around.

Just 7 days later she is looking like a beauty queen and able to walk about 400-500 yards a day. Unfortunately she does have 2 broken hips sustained in an accident many months ago but her fortunes have changed massively in the last week.

She’s an old girl (10-12) but looking at her this week has shown me to never give up and to push on no matter what cards you are dealt. Things can and do change for the better.

First Dog Reaches Europe

Because rescuing dogs is so challenging I try to keep my emotions in check. Solve one problem and move on to the next one. This week when my phone pinged and I saw a photo of Peaches in Germany I shed a little tear.

I found her and named her Lady Diana in November and she very nearly died from a nasty attack. After 4 months of getting ready in a wonderful foster home she was the first dog that I’ve been able to send outside Thailand. With some help from great friends she arrived in Germany and looks fantastic. Seeing a picture of her with German cars in the background literally took my breath away.

And The 2nd One

On the very same journey was Little Squeak who was living at the land for the last 6 months. She also made it to Germany and it seemed so surreal seeing her walking through the streets of Europe.

Both of them started with nothing in life (Squeak was the only puppy to make it in her litter) and very little chance of survival but now they are with loving humans who will help them have amazing lives and create lots of wonderful memories. The first 2 of many more dogs to travel internationally in the future. A big step.

Saving And Re-Homing 4 Puppies

I got a message about puppies nearly going to get crushed on a main road on Thursday. After an initial rescue and getting them to the land it was time to get them fixed up. After several vet visits and lots of cleaning and eating a miracle happened as all 4 of them found homes over 1000km away in Bangkok.

I packed them up this morning and hired a taxi to get them to forever homes. Being so small their chances of survival would have been 5% at best on the streets but those chances just increased to 95% by getting them homes. A stressful but ultimately fulfilling few days with them. I can only imagine the joy these dogs will bring into their new homes.

A Proper Youtube Channel For Leaning About Street Dogs

Ever since I started this mission I’ve always waned to get Youtube right but I just didn’t have the time. The main reason for that is that so many kids watch it. I know from parents messaging me that children enjoy watching the McMuffins and Jumbos of this world but they do so mostly on their parent’s phones via Instagram and Twitter.

I’ve finally been able to get the support and help on Youtube needed. There are now proper long videos there which will educate the next generation about street dogs. I’d urge you to watch this one of Tina to see just how good this new format is.

You can subscribe to the channel here.

Tina Steals The Show Again

I don’t know what it is about this girl but she just absolutely steals the show every time I share an update on her. I took her for a little swim on Friday after a tough day and it was the perfect end to the week not just for me but for the many people who follow her online.

That one dog so far away from everybody who 99.99% of people haven’t met can have such an impact is just remarkable. I think we’ve all been in a position similar to Tina at one stage in our life and can understand the struggle.

Panda Went Home

We caught Panda in a horrible sate. He was red raw with infections and in serious pain. After 7 weeks with us he was able to go back to his family. It took plenty of vet visits and medicines (which would have been unaffordable for his family) but he came good and it is the perfect result as we can keep an eye on him and check in every so often.

It felt nice to be able to rebuild Panda and give him some relief.

5000 Dog Meals Served

This number still blows me away every single week. I don’t actually see all the food as is cooked in a central kitchen and delivered to volunteers around the island. What I do know is that 800 dogs every single day now have a nutritious and tasty meal in their bellies on a daily basis.

I’m Only One Guy But I Don’t Feel Alone

Most people know that the one treat I love is a pizza and a coke. Somebody very kind absolutely insisted I take money for my treat this week. As I took my hat off utterly exhausted mentally and physically I just scrolled through some of the comments and messages of support people sent me. It always just blows me away.

I feel blessed to be the one able to do this and I never want to let anybody down. I take the support so seriously and just wish I had more time to reply and engage with fellow dog lovers. Doing what I do wouldn’t be possible without you and I never take it for granted.

As I said at the start every dog can have a huge impact on the world especially with the joy they can bring out in humans. There are about 10 in this update who now have their chance at being alive and not just another sad statistic.

From dogs getting 2nd chances in Germany, to puppies in Bangkok or Tina and Rodney making people smile at their phones. The world is simply a better place with dogs in it.

I hope you had a lovely weekend,

Big love

Niall

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