There are stories that stay with you, not because they’re loud or grand, but because they speak directly to the heart. The kind of stories that begin in silence, in pain, in the quiet unraveling of a life, and then, almost miraculously, are rewritten through compassion, purpose, and the soft nudge of a street dog in need of love.
Niall Harbison’s life once played out in glossy headlines and high-pressure boardrooms. A celebrated chef turned entrepreneur, he built companies, courted success, and lived fast. But behind the scenes, darkness crept in, addiction, depression, isolation. A breaking point came, and it nearly ended everything.
But this is not a story about endings. This is a story about redemption and beginnings, not the kind found in applause or achievement, but in service. In choosing, every single day, to put others first, especially those who cannot speak, who often go unseen, and whose lives hang in the balance of human kindness.
In a small corner of Thailand, Niall found them: dogs, abandoned and forgotten, limping from hunger, trembling from fear, craving affection in the only way they knew how. And they, unknowingly, found him.
From that moment forward, his life took on a quiet, yet radical purpose, to care for them. To show up for them. To give them dignity, safety and love. Happy Doggo is his remarkable nonprofit organization, dedicated to rescuing, feeding, and caring for street dogs in Thailand. Born out of Niall’s personal journey of recovery and a deep desire to bring purpose to his life, Happy Doggo started humbly, feeding just one malnourished dog Lucky on the streets of Koh Samui. That single act of kindness soon evolved into a powerful movement fueled by compassion, community, and a belief that every dog deserves love, dignity, and a chance at a better life.
Today, Happy Doggo feeds over 1,000 street dogs every day, often being the only source of food and care they receive. Each meal is cooked in Alba’s Kitchen, a real kitchen built in his sanctuary named after another dog, Alba, who touched the souls of so many people worldwide. But the mission goes beyond daily feeding. The organization funds large-scale sterilization programs, having already helped control the population through tens of thousands of procedures. They provide essential medical care for injured and sick dogs and offer sanctuary to the most vulnerable, those who are elderly, disabled, or traumatized. Niall and his team work tirelessly, rain or shine, to ensure these animals are not just surviving but living with some joy, comfort, and safety.
One of the most inspiring aspects of Happy Doggo is its transparency and emotional storytelling. Through powerful videos and social media updates, Niall introduces the world to the dogs he meets, sharing their journeys from abandonment to recovery, and creating a global network of supporters and dog lovers. A new hospital named after Tina, a golden retriever who symbolized the spirit of the movement, is also under construction, marking a significant step forward in the organization’s efforts to provide advanced and long-term care.
Happy Doggo isn’t just about helping dogs, it’s about showing what can happen when we lead with empathy. It’s proof that one person, with a big heart and a lot of perseverance, can change the world, one paw at a time.
Niall journey is tenderly chronicled in his debut book, Hope, a heartfelt memoir that captures the raw truth of hitting rock bottom and the unexpected salvation found in a community of street dogs. Now, just weeks away from the release of his second book, Tina, Niall is ready to share even deeper insights into his mission, stories of resilience, devotion, and the everyday miracles that come from loving without limits. This new chapter promises to be just as stirring, a continuation of the legacy he’s building paw by paw.
But, as briefly mentioned before, at the heart of Niall’s mission stands Tina’s Hospital, a sanctuary built not just with bricks and mortar, but with boundless love and compassion. Named in honor of one of the first dogs to touch Niall’s soul, the hospital provides lifesaving medical care to injured, sick, and vulnerable street dogs who would otherwise be left to suffer in silence. It’s a place where hope is stitched into every bandage, and where the forgotten are treated with the dignity, gentleness, and healing they deserve, a true symbol of what it means to love fiercely and act selflessly.
His is not a sanitized, fairy-tale version of rescue. It is muddy, exhausting, often heartbreaking work. But it is also deeply beautiful, because in giving everything to these dogs, Niall has rediscovered what it means to be alive, to be connected, to be human in the purest sense of the word.
This interview is a window into that journey—into the soul of someone who has walked through fire, only to emerge barefoot, offering comfort to creatures many have forgotten. It is a testament to what happens when we allow love, messy, unconditional, four-legged love, to lead the way.
Your journey from battling addiction and depression to saving hundreds of street dogs is both painful and inspiring. Can you take us back to the moment you decided to change your life?
It was when I was lying in a hospital bed in Thailand in 2021. I had been an alcoholic for 25 years and just nearly drunk myself to death. I was hooked up to so many machines that I thought this was the end. I decided in that moment that if I did somehow make it I would make a difference with my life and stop drinking and do something meaningful. I had no idea what at first. I was lost and at rock bottom.
Why Thailand? What was it about this place — with all its contrasts — that felt right for your healing and for building Happy Doggo?
I was either going to live in Italy or Thailand. Mainly for the food, the people and the culture. Both places were my dream and Thailand just won the debate because it was a little bit warmer and I hate the winters in Europe.
Street dogs carry immense trauma, yet they seem to forgive and trust again. What have they taught you about resilience, and in turn, about yourself
I think the biggest thing is that no matter how down you are in life there is a way back. I had addiction, depression andsevere anxiety that you can always bounce back. I see some of the dogs in the worst possible state in life but they always keep their spirits up and believe they can come back.
You’ve said that dogs saved your life more than you saved theirs. Can you share one moment when that truth hit you deeply?
I think every single day. We feed 1250 daily and when I am out on the moped in the mornings feed them and seeing their tails wagging and their little happy faces I count my lucky stars and realise that if it were not for them I wouldn’t be alive.
So many people walk around with invisible wounds. In your experience, how do dogs help heal pain that words often fail to reach?
I think everybody is battling something behind the brave facade. It could be grief, break-ups, depression, addiction—anything. For me personally, dogs are just so loyal and they offer such unconditional love that they make everything seem ok.
You face difficult scenes every day, yet you keep showing up. How do you process the heartbreak without losing yourself in it?
It’s incredibly hard. The only thing that keeps me going is that I can see the difference a small action makes for a dog. It does hit me massively when a dog that I know well dies and because there are so many we look after that often. I show up every day for the dogs because they need me.
Your relationship with Snoop seemed especially powerful. What did his companionship mean to you during your darkest moments?
He is the reason I am still alive today. When I was in my worst state with depression and alcoholism I had pushed all humans and friends away in favor of alcohol. Snoop never left my side and I always remember that. He was my soul mate and even at my lowest point in life he only wanted to be with me.
You’ve built a new life in Thailand, not just for yourself, but for hundreds of dogs. What has this mission taught you about purpose?
I think a lot of us struggle with purpose in life. I did for 41 years before I found the dogs. What is the meaning of life and what is the point of everything? I had no idea before I found that helping the dogs was what made me tick. It seems strange but by helping others you get 100X back and feel so much better about yourself.
There’s something incredibly grounding about animals. How has your time with them reshaped how you understand connection and presence?
There is nothing better than being around the sick and recovering animals and just walking with them. I can see their wounds healing and their bodies coming alive. As I look around the jungle and walk with them I actually look at nature and the plants and trees etc and think that life isn’t about iPhones or Handbags or new cars. Life is just about being alive and in the moment and happy.
Can you tell us about a dog whose journey particularly moved you, one that shifted something in your own heart?
Obviously, I would have to say, Tina who the new book is about. She was chained up her whole life and I built her back up into a wonderful creature who has inspired my life’s work. When she passed away I told myself that I would do anything in the world to make her legacy one that is never forgotten,
From your earlier days in media and business to now, how has your definition of success evolved?
100% changed. You need money to live and do things like eat nice food and have somewhere to stay. But when I look back, my life then was empty of real meaning. I think so many of us are chasing promotions / a bigger house / a nicer car or whatever the new thing is without seeing the bigger picture of what matters.
Loneliness is something you’ve spoken about with raw honesty. Do you think dogs can offer a kind of emotional presence that’s even more powerful than human companionship at times?
They absolutely can and I know many people who would be lost without their dogs mentally. I do think though that it is important to have human connections and not over-rely on JUST a dog as that can be unhealthy as they will pass on one day leaving you distraught. Maybe have 3 dogs then you are covered!
What’s a small, everyday moment, a tail wag, a look, a silence, that reminds you you’re exactly where you’re meant to be?
When I go to sleep every evening I look in the mirror in the bathroom and think of the dogs I have helped that day. I smile to myself as I am happy and sober. Life won’t always be perfect but if I have helped dogs have a better life that day then I know I have done good in the world.
Your first book gave readers a glimpse into your past and struggles. Looking back, how do you feel about that version of yourself, and what did writing that book teach you?
I don’t like the old me but that was because of alcohol. I wasn’t a bad person but I was just selfish and always thinking about the next drink so I could escape my own head. Having said that had I not nearly drunk myself to death I wouldn’t have found this path either so I can’t regret anything. To have the life I have now and the clarity of vision and happiness issomething I feel blessed to have.
Your new book is about second chances, for both dogs and people. What do you hope someone struggling in silence will feel when they read it?
If literally one person reads it and changes their life then it will have been worth all the effort it took me. I remember being at rock bottom and looking at famous people or online stars or YouTube videos or anything for a sign that there was some hope out there that I could make it back. I hope someone can feel that.
In the soft, golden light of early morning on the streets of Thailand, there’s a quiet kind of magic unfolding, one that speaks not in words, but in wagging tails, healing eyes, and the simple gesture of a man kneeling to feed a forgotten dog. That man is Niall Harbison, and his story is one of extraordinary transformation. Every morning, the scooter Niall rides through the roads has become his version of the Batmobile, humble in form but heroic in purpose, because, in the eyes of over a thousand street dogs and many people all over the world, he’s nothing short of a real-life superhero. Once a successful chef and tech entrepreneur, Niall’s life took a sharp, painful turn that led him to the edge. It was in his lowest moments, surrounded by silence and searching for meaning, that he found it, through a dog named Lucky. And from that moment, everything changed.
Happy Doggo was born not just from a desire to help animals, but from the profound understanding that sometimes, in saving others, we end up saving ourselves. What Niall has built is more than a charity, it’s a movement rooted in empathy, grit, and the belief that love, when shared freely, has the power to rebuild even the most broken parts of us. Every dog he rescues is a life interrupted by suffering, and every act of care is a thread in a much larger tapestry of healing, for them, and for him.
Dogs have an ancient, almost mystical way of sensing what words can’t express. They sit beside you in silence when the world is too loud. They offer loyalty when you feel unworthy. They love without needing a reason. Niall’s work is a living testament to this silent language of healing. Through the eyes of street dogs, once starved, injured, and overlooked, he’s found clarity, purpose, and peace. And in return, he’s given them a life that many never believed possible.
In every rescued dog, there’s a deeper message: resilience lives in the quietest hearts. And perhaps, just perhaps, the truest kind of success isn’t in wealth or fame, but in the lives we lift up when no one else is watching.
Niall Harbison went from rock bottom to rescuing over 1,000 dogs a day and is a universal gift to discover how one man’s fall became a rising for them all.
