After facing the death of a stray dog in Thailand, a man who has dedicated his life to rescuing stray dogs has revealed that he wants to change the lives of dozens of animals.
Neil Harbison, a recovering alcoholic from Ireland who now lives in a Far Eastern country, lives with about 80 dogs and plans to one day help 10,000 stray dogs a month. .
He told MailOnline that he vowed to change his life after being admitted to the intensive care unit after binge eating and drinking caused by depression and anxiety.
Among the many dogs he has rescued so far is a puppy called Rodney. He scooped him up after finding him starving, bruised and suffocating on the street.
In just two weeks, the puppy began to recover thanks to treatments such as skin oil baths, a nutritious diet and plenty of sleep.
scroll down for video
Harbison spends about $2,000 to $3,000 each month to run the dog sanctuary, along with crowdfunding through social media platforms.
His Instagram account has grown from 800 followers a year ago to 272,000 today. Fans are keen to see content about how he’s changing the lives of the dogs he comes into contact with.
He explained how he began rescuing stray dogs after nearly dying from alcohol abuse.
“I started my mission after being in the hospital ICU. I was suffering from anxiety and depression, so I drank to death. , vowed to change his life and do something meaningful.
He started taking care of a dog named Lucky, but “the food bag got bigger and bigger, from four to eight and eventually up to 80 per day,” he said. .
On the Donor Box page, the dog lover says the only way to “stop suffering” for stray dogs is to have an effective spay and sterilization program.
Harbison said trying to care for so many rescue dogs wasn’t always good for his mental health, and recently tried helping and feeding so many dogs. He says he suffers from burnout. Dog food alone costs him $30 a day.
He said: “I’m the only one doing it on scooters and jeeps. I team up with other people to help dogs and we all tinker. I built it now to feed my dogs and have a woman cook this for me.
“I funded it all myself to start with savings, but people started helping with veterinary bills and donating if they found a dog in need of more expensive care.”
Discussing his ongoing battle to stay sober, he says he still has to “keep” his demons at bay, saying, “It’s not easy and I share it openly. I’m doing it purely to help someone somewhere who needs it.
“I will never stop talking about it because it still has great stigma and is seen as a weakness in society.”
A golden retriever has recently taken care of him. After someone found an abandoned dog on a short leash.
After seeing a photo of a bitch that had been used for breeding “for years”, the animal lover couldn’t get the photo out of her head and dashed to save her.
The veterinarian confirmed that the dog weighed only 12.5kg, half its original weight.
But after just 24 hours of TLC, including bathing and various treatments at the vet to treat a fungal infection, the dog was eating well and chasing balls again.
To donate to Neil’s Stray Dog Rescue, please visit: donorbox.org/helping-thai-street-dogs-2
