Niall Harbison, the CEO of Happy Doggo, shares the story of Britney Spears – a dog he rescued in Thailand two years ago.

“She had been used for fighting or possibly as a bait dog. She was dumped in the jungle with a padlock around her neck and with her 5 puppies,” Harbison wrote.

Harbison said that Britney was incredibly vicious. And prior to him rescuing the pooch, she has already bitten two volunteers badly.

He explained, “The only way I could get them food at first was with a big stick. Mum kept lunging at me. The puppies were in a horrific state with ticks.”

But Harbison understood that Britney’s aggressiveness was just the pooch’s way to protect her children. “She was just being protective of them,” he wrote.

Harbison revealed that it took him a total of 2 weeks to carry out the rescue of Britney and her puppies.

“Taking her to the vets and taking the padlock off was the best feeling ever,” he wrote.

Harbison also said that they got all Britney’s puppies treated for ticks and that she “completely changed” after.

Luckily, after all of Britney’s puppies became healthy again, Harbison was able to get them adopted. “All 5 turned out great and are living great lives and have been sterilized,” he reveals.

As for Britney, she has learned to trust Harbison and has been living with him since. However, Harbison said that she was a hard case because she couldn’t trust anyone and would attack both humans and other dogs that she didn’t trust.

“I nearly gave up so many times in frustration,” Harbison said. But knowing the life she lived, Harbison was extremely patient with Britney.

He said, “Britney came around slowly. She would try to play but she’d always let herself down. She has no off button from her previous life.”

Today, while Britney isn’t still as trusting, Harbison reveals that she has come so far. Britney now trusts bout six to seven people to walk her and interact with and has also made two dog friends!

Harbison said, “Not all rescues are perfect neat little happy endings”, giving us a small glimpse of how rescuing dogs is not all rainbows and unicorns.

“It’s been so hard but I’m very proud of Britney,” Harbison wrote. “She has seen horrible things in her life. I look at her now and see a dog that is as happy and content as possible.”

Social media users were touched to learn Britney and the second chance she got in life. One X user wrote, “Britney is doing great considering what she went through. Unfortunately, like people, some wounds never heal and we always carry them with us.”

“I’m impressed how far Britney has come! You offered hope. Your patience w/her is her success,” Another user wrote.

Another one said, “Brittany is a reminder that there are no bad dogs, only bad humans.”

Furthermore, Harbison reveals, “I’d love to get her a home but I still worry. Her life needs structure and safety for her.”

However, social media users were all in agreement when they said Britney is right where she belongs. One X user said, “I think she’s in her forever home, she’s clearly happy with you, her suite, and her toys.”

On a July 8 Instagram post, the animal shelter shares the heroic story of King that ended in a happily ever after.

The animal shelter reveals that the five-year-old dog came to them after escaping a life of neglect.

“When he arrived at HSP, he had a large, ulcerated mass on his face. The mass weighed a staggering 7 pounds, 10% of his body weight. It was impossible to tell how long it had been left untreated,” HSP reveals.

Despite the situation he was in, HSP said King’s spirit was “unbroken”. They explained that even though the pooch was in pain, “he had an inspiring upbeat attitude and only wanted to be loved.”

The animal shelter reveals that the pooch underwent a difficult yet successful surgery to remove the mass on his face. Thankfully, the tumor was benign.

During the following weeks, King continued his incredible recovery while also undergoing treatment for heartworm disease.

The animal shelter was doing its best to prepare King for his forever home.

“King has gone through a lot in lifetime and is still learning how to be a dog outside the world where he came from prior,” HSP wrote in a July 26 update. “Our staff is working endlessly to provide him love and care and set him up for a life in a forever home.”

And while it took a while, what’s for the lovable pooch finally found him – a loving forever home.

On an August 12 update, HSP shared the story of how King found his forever home.

HSP explained that during King’s heartworm treatment, he had to be on leash walks only. And HSP’s staff members would always take him out on long walks while keeping him entertained.

HSP reveals, “During one of these long walks, King was introduced to a construction worker who was working on our brand new Sjouwerman Adoption Center. It is here where this lovely gentlemen slowly fell in love with King.”

HSP said that the gentleman asked to foster King during a tropical storm. “He fell in love with him and fate stepped in and King was adopted by this amazing man,” HSP wrote.

While King has gotten his happily ever after, a lot of pets like him at the Humane Society of Pinellas are still waiting to get the care they deserve.

To help Humane Society of Pinellas continue save lives, visit their website and make a donation today.

Waylon was first discovered by the Keller Creek Boarding and Grooming, a dog care services in Carnesville, Georgia, who were collecting their canine clients for doggy daycare.

Nobody knows how long Waylon has been on the streets before the dog care services found him.

In a Facebook post, the Keller Creek Boarding and Grooming posted about the encounter with Waylon. They wrote, “He was on our bus route this morning on Brown Rd in Carnesville trying to get on the bus. He followed us all the way down the road. We are worried he may get hit by another vehicle.”

The dog care services even posted a video of Waylon chasing the pup bus. But who would’ve thought that the video would become Waylon’s permanent ticket to the pup bus along with a forever home?

The video reportedly caught the attention of a Keller Creek Boarding and Grooming client named Saide Peace.

Keller Creek Boarding and Grooming revealed in a follow-up update, “One of our clients reached out to us this morning about him and decided he would make a perfect addition to their home.”

Peace already owned a Yellow Lab named Neli and she tells 11Alive, “I was doing my daily check of the Keller Creek Facebook because I send Neli (Waylon’s sister) there, and I saw where they posted about a lab that was chasing the bus, so I reached out.”

Apparently, Waylon wasn’t entirely a stray and was staying at a place where neighbors are able to feed him.

“I reached out to the girl and told her that I was interested in getting him so that night my boyfriend and I took Nelli to go meet him and I knew once we got there and saw him that I was taking him home with me,” Peace explained. 

Peace reveals that she took Waylon to the vet to get checked out and to get him vaccinated.

And a few weeks after getting adopted, Keller Creek Boarding and Grooming revealed that Waylon is finally starting his first official day in daycare, therefore earning him a permanent seat on the pup bus.

Peace reveals, “I knew I would be taking him to Keller Creek since his sister absolutely loves going there, and he made it very clear that he wanted to get on that bus that day he was chasing them.”

The Las Vegas-based animal shelter, The Animal Foundation, posted about Duke on Thursday, August 8, saying: “Duke is looking for a new home because his constant napping and apparent lack of enthusiasm made him the wrong fit for his last family.”

“And that’s okay. We’re confident that there’s plenty of people who would vibe with 4-year-old Duke’s lack of energy,” the animal shelter added.

The animal shelter also reveals that Duke’s former family was complaining about how the pooch sleeps all day and how he doesn’t get up to greet the family when they get home.

The Animal Foundation joked about the description being “what our moms used to say about us when we used to hibernate in our bedrooms as teenagers.”

The post about Duke went viral and on the same day, he was already headed to a loving foster home.

According to USA Today, Duke first arrived at the Animal Foundation on June 23 and was adopted by his former family on July 06.

He was later returned a month after but now stays with his new foster mom, Sue Marshall. Talking to USA Today, Marshall reveals that Duke is adjusting to his new home.

She also confirmed that the pooch loooooves sleeping! “He is doing well, he climbed up on the sofa with me last night and put his head in my lap,” Marshall said. 

However, while the pooch loves sleeping, Marshall reveals that he is a real sweetheart and loves attention.

Marshall absolutely fell in love with Duke and has revealed that she is planning to officially adopt Duke and is currently working to find out the steps involved in doing so.

Online users couldn’t help but comment about how Duke was actually the “dream dog”. One user wrote, “Boring is the best! Those people didn’t deserve him.” While another wrote, “Duke sounds like the perfect dog!”

Some users also criticized Duke’s previous family. One even wrote, “Maybe they weren’t fun and he was unimpressed.”

On July 27, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office (TPSO) revealed on a Facebook post that they were made aware of a video that was circulating online showing a boy abusing a dog during a hunting trip.

“It was evident a second individual was recording the crime and a third individual was present as well, neither intervening on the dog’s behalf,” they explain.

Upon investigation, detectives found that the abuse occurred in Manchac, Louisiana early 2023 and the teenagers were from the Ponchatoula area.

TPSO revealed that the perpetrators were three 15-year-old teenagers. They also revealed, “One 15-year-old boy was arrested on one count of Animal Cruelty. The other two 15-year-old boys were each arrested on one count of Principal to Animal Cruelty.”

TPSO said, “The dog in the video was also located and assessed. The dog, at this time, was found to be in healthy condition and of a happy disposition.”

In the video, the teen can be seen punching the dog repeatedly while trying to train it to retrieve ducks in water.

After the video went viral, a petition to remove the dog, found to be a Labrador Retriever, from the suspect’s home was created. The petition was considered a success with a total of 114,517 signatures.

In a follow-up statement, TPSO revealed that since the arrest of the teenagers, they have been coordinating with numerous animal welfare and legal experts “regarding potential additional actions pertaining to the welfare of the dog.”

However, with the suspect’s family cooperation, they’ve led to an agreement to surrender the dog so it can be rehomed.

“The dog is scheduled to receive a full medical evaluation prior to that rehoming,” TPSO wrote in the update. “The Tangipahoa Parish Animal Services office is coordinating the rehoming and no assistance from the public is needed for that process at this time.”

The suspect’s family also said thru TSPO that they are beyond devastated about the whole situation involving their son and their dog.

They explained, “Because we love our son, we are committed to ensuring that he learns appropriately from this experience through accountability measures in the court system and at home.”

“And because we love our dog, we are committed to ensuring it has a home where it is safe,” the family added.

Director of Animal Control, Chip Fitz, said, “At Animal Services, our goal is to make sure that all necessary actions are taken in order to prevent any abuse.”

“At the same time, we must make sure the outcomes of any of those actions are good for all animals involved.”

According to MSPCA-Angell, the coalition is comprised of the following animal groups: Boston Animal Control, Berkshire Humane Society, Dakin Humane Society, Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center, and Worcester Animal Rescue League.

The adoption event, called “Mass Saves”, began on Monday, July 15th and will continue through Sunday, July 21st.

During this week, the coalition will be waiving their adoption fees for dogs over the age of one year old across a total of 10 shelters – including Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, Lowell Humane Society, and all of MSCPA’s adoption centers in Boston, Methuen, Cape Cod, and Northeast Animal Shelter.

With this adoption event, the coalition, funded by the Best Friends Animal Society, will work together to help combat the animal shelter overpopulation as well as help homeless dogs find their forever homes a lot easier.

“Our adoption centers are at 90% capacity, but we’re determined to do everything we can to continue to provide a safe place for local surrender to land, and help our relocation partner shelters,” MSPCA-Angell wrote.

MSPCA-Angell Vice President of Animal Protection, Mike Keiley, also tells WWLP that they have the keys to be successful in getting dogs find their forever homes.

Keiley explains, “Making space in all of the coalition shelters is vitally important, as it allows us to collectively help more local stray and surrendered pets. Plus, we know that the formula to help dogs most in need right now is combining increased behavior support with reducing time in shelters.”

“We’ve held special adoption events when our cages are full, and we’ve seen incredible success, which I’m confident we can expand throughout the coalition by working together,” Keiley adds.

If you’re interested to adopt a dog from the adoption event, you can see all adoptable dogs participating in the event here, with a star on their profile.

However, if you can’t adopt but still want to help, you can donate to MSPCA’s “Pay It Forward Adoption Fund”.

In an effort to help find homes for animals in overcrowded animal shelters, LA Animal Services announced the ‘Biggies and Meow-Meows Adoption Event’ that will run from July 05 through July 31, 2024.

During the Biggies and Meow-Meows adoption month, fees will be cut 50% for all adoptable dogs and cats and new adoption prices will be the following:

• Dogs over 40 lbs: $51 (that does not include $20 license fee for LA City residents);
• Puppies: $75
• Cats: $12.50
• Kittens: $25

Pets adopted from LA Animal Services are already spayed/neutered, vaccinated, licensed, and microchipped.

Adopters will also receive a VCA Healthy Start Certificate, which provides up to $250 of follow-up veterinary care within the first 14 days of adoption.

And on top of all of that, dogs that are adopted from the shelter are also eligible for free dog training classes at the Paws for Life K9 Rescue People & Pet Innovation Center in Mission Hills, CA.

The adoption event is sponsored by the Paula Kent Meehan Pet Care Foundation. Bill Crowe, the foundation’s director told Los Angeles Daily News, “Especially now, because spring is a natural procreation season, the city shelters are overrun with dogs and cats and kittens.”

All six city-run shelters in L.A. are participating in the reduced adoption fee event. And they include the West Valley shelter in Chatsworth, the East Valley shelter in Van Nuys, the Harbor Area shelter in San Pedro, the South L.A. shelter in Inglewood, the West L.A. shelter in Santa Monica and the North Central shelter in downtown L.A.

The adoption event came at the right time as the Los Angeles Board of Animal Services Commission recently approved a proposal to increase the limit of dogs per household, from three to four, to help ease shelter overcrowding.

However, Crowe is urging potential adopters to do their research first and to be prepared for the responsibility before deciding to adopt.

“Make sure you’re ready to adopt an animal, because we want it to be a forever home, not a mistake,” Crowe said.

Crowe also emphasized the importance of adopting from a shelter and how doing so can help save a life. “The shelter animals are in danger of not making it out alive, it’s just a fact. So, if you can save a life and find a wonderful new furry companion, then do so.”

If you’re interested to adopt any pet from LA Animal Services, you may view their adoptable dogs and cats here and here.

Animal lovers are praising Niall Harbison, the CEO of Happy Doggo, after he shares the story of Cindy Crawford and how he helped her get a second chance at life.

“On the 22nd of September last year I found Cindy Crawford on the streets. She was morbidly obese and about to die,” Harbison wrote in a tweet.

Harbison shared that when he found Cindy, she weighed 46kg. “Her transformation today is seriously hard to believe,” he said.

In a series of tweets, Harbison shared Cindy’s full story from when he found her up until her current situation.

Harbison found Cindy laying in the streets in Thailand and said, “Cindy Crawford had given up on life and had lost all the dignity.”

After finding Cindy in the streets, Harbison immediately went to work to save her. “We got her in and cleaned up and started trying to fix her skin and her general health,” he explains.

In a video Harbison shared on September 25, 2023, he reveals that the vet were worried that her heart would stop with how obese she was.

“Her skin is in agony from parasites, internal issues, and neglect,” the animal charity CEO explains. “The blood vessels are inflamed all over her body. We have to move very slowly with her.”

Harbison also reveals that due to her weight, Cindy couldn’t even walk for more than 50 yards. But he didn’t give up and he started to put Cindy on a diet.

But like any other successful journey, Cindy’s came with some obstacles. Harbison reveals, “where we really started to make progress was when Cindy was diagnosed with a thyroid issue.”

But that didn’t stop Cindy. With her medicines and regular training, she started losing about 400g a week, and even met her new future mom, Lana!

And five months into her journey, Cindy started running for the first time ever since getting rescued.

Harbison said, “It was at this stage we gave Cindy her forever home. Lana took her in to live with her full time.”

And while Cindy has still a few pounds to lose, it’s something walking, going on beach trips, and dieting could definitely help fix!

As a matter of fact, Cindy is now down to 28.5kg – meaning she has lost almost half of her original weight back in September.

Cindy’s weight loss isn’t the only transformation she’s had for the past year. Because now, she is living the life she deserves.

Harbison shares, “Instead of living outside a 7-11, she had her own family and a villa. Her skin was perfect and she had her joy for life back.”

Harbison ends the update with, “She might just be a street dog in Thailand but I think we can all learn a lot from Cindy. We might be down at times in life. But we’re never out” along with a photo of Cindy looking healthy and happy.

Founded in 2023, Happy Doggo is a registered UK charity that aims to reduce the sufferings of dogs worldwide, particularly in Thailand and South East Asia.

The Merrimac Police Department, through WHDH, reports that authorities were called to remove the dogs after the homeowner voluntarily surrendered them.

The removal was part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation into reports of animal hoarding and overcrowding.

All dogs that were surrendered are currently placed in the care of the Massachusetts Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (MSPCA).

MSPCA-Angell vice president of animal protection, Mike Keiley, said, “It was unsanitary conditions, as you can imagine, with that number of dogs in one space.”

MSPCA called the surrender of the dogs as “the largest local surrender of dogs we’ve seen in recent history”.

Keiley revealed that the dogs’ medical condition varied from fairly stable to thin, with some having some type of medical condition. And that their age ranges from 8-day-old newborn puppies to seniors.

By taking all 60 dogs, Keiley stated that MSPCA has maxed out three of their shelters in Massachusetts.

“We know what the stakes are right now if our operations were to be impacted by this case, so we are moving fast with some of these younger and more resilient dogs into homes,” Keiley said.

On Thursday, June 13, MSPCA announced that the first round of Boxes, consisting of seven dogs, became available for adoption on the next day.

The first seven Boxers included five puppies, a one-year-old female, and a four-year-old male.

“Please come with all your patience and understanding,” MSPCA wrote. “We are looking for really special families for these dogs, as their life up to this point has been anything but normal and they’re going to need experienced, dedicated people to help them catch up on all the experiences that they have missed.”

While some dogs are now ready for adoption, some are still needing medical attention, meaning the MSPCA will also need donations to ensure the dogs will get all the medical attention they need.

For interested adopters, you can check all available dogs on mspca.org/adoptadog. And for those who wish to donate to support MSPCA while they provide the medical needs of all 60 dogs, you can send your donations on: www.mspca.org/boxers.

As for the owner of the Boxers, WWLP reports that there have been no charges filed at this time since the investigation is still ongoing.

Rescue Me Tampa – Shelter Dogs shared the heartbreaking story of Honey the Husky on Sunday, May 26 on their Facebook page.

The animal shelter shared that Honey was adopted during the annual Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center’s mega adoption event in Tampa, Florida, on the weekend of May 17.

Only a week after the adoption event, Honey was returned to the shelter.

“She was at the event due to being surrendered by her first owners for being ‘allergic‘. Now she is back for being boring,” the animal shelter wrote.

As a senior dog, the animal shelter describes Honey as very quiet, calm, and spends most of her days sleeping.

The animal shelter further revealed that the people who adopted her from the adoption event returned the senior pooch for not being very interactive and not having “much of a personality like they had hoped.”

“The adopter’s youngest daughter was hoping for a more playful friend but the adopter’s son was very attached to the dog in the short time they had together,” Rescue Me Tampa – Shelter Dogs explains.

Before being surrendered for not being playful enough, Honey was with a previous owner for five years. Unfortunately, she was surrendered because the previous owner’s child was highly allergic of her.

Talking to the Southern Living, Jessica Yingst, Rescue Me Tampa’s page administrator, said that Honey’s story broke their hearts and souls.

“We see this kind of stuff weekly, however, something about her eyes just ripped us in pieces,” Yingst said.

Honey’s story went viral and a lot of people online were heartbroken after reading what the senior pooch had to go through.

Thankfully, the post reached Julie Bassett, owner of the animal rescue named Husky Life Rescue, who then rescued Honey.

Bassett revealed that Honey hasn’t had any real veterinary care in months, and found some shocking news.

Honey is not 10 years old, but is in fact, 15 years old. Furthermore, the senior pooch has developed a severe Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and an upper respiratory infection.

“It’s no wonder she was ‘boring’. Kind of hard to be motivated when you feel so bad,” Basset wrote.

Basset said they are doing what they can to take care of Honey until she is healthy again.

Basset told WFLA that they will decide if Honey will be put back for adoption or if she will stay with the rescue once she has recovered.

Husky Life Rescue is an animal rescue in Lakeland that pulls Huskies from high kill shelters to rehabilitate them, take care of them, and train them in order to help them find their forever homes.

If you would like to help Honey, you can donate to Husky Life Rescue here.

According to The Daily Mail, the whole incident was recorded by a food delivery driver behind the owner of the dog in a black Lexus with no plate.

In the video, you can see the dog, looking confused, chasing the car of its owner on the road and trying to get in.

The whole encounter seemed to have happened in multiple streets, as the dog looked exhausted in the video from trying to chase his owner’s car.

Destiny Gomez, 24, a woman who finds home for stray pets, saw the video on Instagram and decided to message the person who recorded the heartbreaking video.

She said that when she saw the video of the dog, she renamed Chico, “my heart dropped to the ground, and I started crying right away.”

Gomez asked the food delivery driver where the incident happened, and thankfully, she found that it was five minutes away from where she works.

Fortunately, after driving around for hours, Gomez’s boyfriend finally saw Chico.

Gomez reveals that she didn’t want to rehome Chico right there and then. She said people have been DM-ing her telling her they can take the dog but, “that wasn’t the route I wanted to go. I wanted to go through a rescue, because his story is so sad.”

Gomez made sure Chico was safe, and she even got him groomed before finding him a rescue.

Thankfully, Gomez was able to connect with Bella’s Animal Rescue, a non-profit organization that saves dogs in Southern California.

The non-profit organization reveals that they have collaborated with Gomez for rescue work in the past and she have reached out to them again to take Chico in.

Currently, Chico has not been adopted. Instead, he is with his wonderful foster which he will stay at until he finds his forever home.

Bella’s Animal Rescue provided an update of Chico, through his foster. He is now taking walks, meeting new friends, playing with toys, and just enjoying a life he deserves.

They also said that he was taken to the vet for a general examination and for his vaccinations.

The non-profit rescue reveals that they are still looking for a forever home for Chico. If you are interested, you can fill out their application form here, or if you wish to donate to Chico, you can donate here.

The Buffalo Fire Department-Helmets & Hose Wagons shared the story of the 4-month-old Pit Bull mix, named Auburn, on Facebook. They shared that the puppy was brought to the fire station by two teenagers who saw the pup get hit by a car.

Anthony Pulvino, one of the firefighters who rescued Auburn, told the Washington Post that the two teenagers who brought the pup to the firehouse noted that the driver apparently drove off after hitting Auburn’s back leg.

The firefighters took care of Auburn and cleaned her wounds. “She did have a lot of road rash, so we treated her, kind of cleaned up her cuts,” the firefighter told People.

However, Auburn’s leg needed more attention and the firefighter decided to bring her to Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center.

A few weeks after Pulvino dropped Auburn at the vet, the Buffalo Fire Department-Helmets & Hose Wagons posted photos of Auburn at the firehouse and revealed that her leg was amputated.

The Fire Department wrote, “Recovered from her surgery, she came by to see her Boys of Engine Co.19 2nd Platoon who came to her aid the day she was struck by a car at Forest and Grant.”

“The story gets even better. One of her rescuers gave Auburn her Forever Home,” the Fire Department revealed.

And the rescuer who gave the pooch her forever home turned out to be Pulvino.

Pulvino, who said he had been working in the field for over two years and had been pondering getting a dog for several months, left his contact information when he dropped the puppy at the vet.

“I left my phone number and said if nobody claims her, I’d love to take her,” Pulvino tells Fox.

“She just fell right into my lap,” Pulvino said. He also revealed that he was the one who decided to name the puppy Auburn.

Washington Post reveals that the name ‘Auburn’ was suggested by another firefighter’s wife, since Pulvino helped put out a fire on a street called Auburn the same day he rescued the pup.

The Buffalo Fire Department shared that Auburn is “now living her best life with FF Pulvino taking long walks, jumping around and loving her new home.”

“You would never know she has three legs; she is already jumping on the couch and running across the house,” Pulvino said.

The firefighter also revealed that he is training the pup to be familiar with sirens and other loud noises so they can spend time together at the firehouse.

But for now, Auburn spends time with Pulvino’s family while he’s at work.

“I want to make sure I give her the best life I can,” he said.