蜜芽传媒

Our Gap Finder today is Niall Harbison, founder of the dog rescue charity Happy Doggo.

Originally from Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland, Niall was a successful Michelin chef, cooking for celebrities like Bono at Cannes, and later started his own marketing business. But during a trip to Thailand, he not only fell in love with the country, but also wanted to help the thousands of street dogs on the island of Koh Samui.

Niall is an alcoholic who also suffers from depression, and after a stint in hospital where he nearly died, he started to rethink what he wanted to do with his life. Niall saw the street dogs and thought he'd start feeding them; feeding one pack led to feeding more, and then sterilising and getting medicines for these dogs.

Niall posted videos online telling stories about the animals, and he started rescuing the dogs that had been neglected, mistreated and injured, funding medical treatment at the vets for them. He also finds homes for the dogs across the world; many in the UK. A famous adopter is Liam Gallagher who adopted a dog called Buttons!

Niall's social media posts gain tens of thousands of views - using his marketing skills - Niall tells happy and uplifting stories about the dogs he rescues.

Niall has recently registered Happy Doggo as a charity in the UK and is releasing a new book called Tina: The Dog who Changed the World.

Charity giving in the UK is at a ten year low - donors are citing cost of living pressures and a distrust in big charities and transparency in where the money is spent. There's also thousands of dog rescue charities across the world - but Happy Doggo is growing and growing - what does Niall think the secret is to him managing to attract donors from the UK?

PRESENTER: PETER WHITE
PRODUCER: LYDIA THOMAS