Man Rescues Starving Golden Retriever in Thailand and Finds a New Life’s Purpose
It’s not every day you meet a Golden Retriever in Thailand but when Niall Harbison came across a very sick and starving one, he had no idea how deeply she would impact his life.
The dog, later named Tina, was shackled to a short chain and in extremely poor health. Something about her reminded Niall of his own personal battle with addiction. He knew instantly that he had to rescue her. Golden Retrievers are rare in Thailand, but there was something about Tina that told him she was special.
Niall first saw her in photos shared by two tourists who had visited a mountain-top visitor center. Her face was so sad, so broken, and it stirred something deep inside him. He messaged his friends, and the next morning they made the trip to find her.
He found Tina tied up under a house, in terrible shape. Within 20 minutes, he had negotiated with her owners, and she was on her way to the vet.
But Niall underestimated just how sick she was. At the time, he didn’t know about refeeding syndrome — a dangerous condition for malnourished animals — and her recovery was full of ups and downs. She developed bloat, a life-threatening condition, but miraculously pulled through.
Despite everything, Tina seemed overjoyed to finally receive love and care. Just a few days in, she began putting on weight and coming back to life.
She spent six months with Niall before sadly passing away.
Tina left a lasting mark on his heart. Niall created a tribute video to honor her and credits her with inspiring a complete transformation in his life. Because of Tina, he dedicated himself to helping street dogs in Thailand.
He founded Happy Doggo, which now provides spay/neuter services, rescue support, and adoption efforts for hundreds of dogs.
Niall has also released a book about Tina and how her brief but powerful presence changed his life — and the lives of so many others — for the better.
Tina: The Dog Who Changed The World is available from Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
