Theseus Mock
Well-Known Member
With time on his hands, Harbison started feeding the odd stray. āI put a few pictures and videos up online of them, and I got a lot of encouragement from people. Thatās not surprising ā people really like dogs ā but a few weeks ago on a whim, I did a full day of it. I bought a big bag of dog food, and just decided to see how many I could find to feed. When I got home that night, I knew Iād found something really special to dedicate myself to. I just thought, āHoly shit, this is so rewardingā. I felt like a million dollars, so I went out the next day and did it again, and Iām still doing it.ā
The dogs of Koh Samui are everywhere. They walk along the roads, sleep in the dust and on the beaches, and live lives that are quite far removed from those of pet dogs in Ireland. Theyāre not particularly looking for human affection or to be adopted, but they have habituated quickly to Harbison turning up at the same places and at the same time each day with food.
He knows that if heās not fully committed to what heās doing, it might not be a kindness.
āIām learning about this issue as I go. There is one quite well-established charity that has a programme to catch the dogs, vaccinate and neuter them, and then release them to try to control the population. There are some unbelievably kind-hearted people out there. Theyāre usually foreigners that have moved here, usually retired people, and they raise money between themselves out of the goodness of their heart.
āBut with the best will in the world, theyāre just chipping away at the problem and I canāt see how they can solve it. My logic is that I want use some of the skills I have gained over the years to tackle the issue in a bigger way and get a real hold of the problem.ā
Harbison says he would like to be able to work with the other charities that deal with the issue to raise funds and set something significant in motion. For now, his focus is on what heās doing each day, and taking the time to explore how he will take it forward, having set himself a goal of helping 10,000 dogs a month.
"Iām just happy driving around on my moped with a big bag of dog food on the back." Photo: Marek Slabej
āWhy that number? Iād love to say there is some scientific, well thought-out reason for it but there isnāt. It just happens to be a big number that I can understand, like 10,000 daily steps or a 10-kilometre run. Although itās terrifyingly big, I still think itās achievable. I want to get to a place where I can look after that amount of dogs on a monthly basis. Giving them a better life, a better chance or even saving them from death or illness.ā
The key for Harbison will be finding a way to build his dream while staying connected to the actual animals. It would be easy to end up sitting behind a spreadsheet all day working on the bigger picture. āI want to keep doing the hands-on stuff. I think I can definitely scale it up, but I donāt want to just go and raise money by tapping some corporates. At a personal level, I feel like I need to do some hard graft. Iām helping myself as well as helping the dogs, and Iām still figuring things out as I go along.ā
He moves the camera around to show me his apartment, which is pretty spartan. āIām very lucky in that I have enough to live a simple life on my own, and I can choose what I do with my time. But I donāt live a fancy life at all. When you sell a business, there are other shareholders to be paid, thereās tax. Donāt get me wrong, Iāve enough for myself, but Iām not eating caviar.
āPaying for a couple of bags of dog food is no problem, but today, for example, I found a dog and brought her to the vet, and it cost ā¬100 to get her seen to before we let her go again. I could take 20 dogs to the vet tomorrow, easily, but thatās going to add up quickly, so this needs to be an exercise that is self-sufficient.ā
On the back of his Twitter and Instagram posts, heās been flooded with people offering to give him money to help pay for what heās doing, but for now he isnāt taking it. Instead, heās directing people who want to keep up with what heās doing to niallharbison.substack.com, where heās keeping a journal, and detailing the project and how itās progressing.
āI probably will need to raise some money eventually. I could spend ā¬5,000 a day here easily on this and eventually Iāll need more people, facilities and medical help to do it properly. In the meantime, I intend to keep going ā this is my life now and this is my vocation.
āIāve lived well and done lots of cool things in my life, but I can honestly say this is the most fulfilment Iāve ever had. I know itās a clichĆ©, but I really did nearly drink myself to death.
āTo come through that and get a second chance is amazing. I donāt give a shit about money or popularity any more. I donāt want a nice car or fancy clothes. Iām just happy driving around on my moped with a big bag of dog food on the back.ā
was rooting for Tina so much
