Thailand Street Dog’s Miraculous Recovery and Transformation Is Truly Inspiring
Did you know that in Thailand and many other countries, there are hundreds of thousands of dogs who call the streets their home? With no one to care for them they do whatever they can to survive, receive no medical care, and live pretty sad lives. Videos of them, like this one shared by Happy Doggo, are heartbreaking to see.
Niall Harbison is the face behind Happy Doggo, whose mission it is to try to end the global street dog problem. They shared a video about a dog named Rodney's story at the end of January 2024, and how he went from near death on the streets to finding his forever family thousands of miles away.
Poor Rodney was hard to look at when Niall and @Happy Doggo rescuers found him. Clearly he needed some major medical attention, as well as food, and love. He almost didn't survive his tragic life, but there was a happy ending to his story - a family in Wales heard about him and decided to adopt him! Videos the family shared of him are surprising; he looks like a completely different dog. His transformation was just incredible!
Thailand's Street Dog Problem
Niall has been rescuing and trying to rehome street dogs in Thailand since 2018. He's saved thousands of dogs, and each story is as heartbreaking as the next. Most have happy endings, but not all of them find what Rodney was able to find.
Why are there so many street dogs in Thailand? Well, this is a global problem, although Thailand does rank as one of the countries with the highest number of them. There is estimated to be around 730,000 dogs living on Thailand's streets and the reason is pretty simple: people do not spay or neuter their dogs. It's also common for people to get bored or unable to care for their pets so they abandon them. Once on the streets the strays just continue to make more puppies and the cycle continues.
It's a huge problem and will take years and years to fix. These dogs sometimes bite, and do carry rabies so that does add to the problem. Rescuers know that they need to provide spay and neutering clinics, and many of them do. And while you may not be able to go all the way to Thailand to help feed and care for these dogs in desperate need, there are ways to help. Like Rodney's family you can adopt a rescued dog through a rescue-partner program. Just spreading awareness and sharing these stories helps. But the biggest way you can help? Donations. There are so many organizations to choose from. Research a few and send a few dollars to the ones that you think are doing the best job. The people fighting to save these dogs, and the dogs themselves, appreciate all the help they can get.
Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
