Great article! Finally the truth is coming out! I live on Samui and part of the wonderful community helping street dogs here. The man in question is a big fake and imposter. Sure, he does help some dogs and this is great, but notbthe extend he claims. The facts he presents in his newsletters and interviews are very twisted, the truth is manipulated. There many real heroes on Samui who save dogs. Niall is not one of them. He has his very questionable agenda.
Thanks I hadn't seen that one, though there are countless like it. I believe the media build up certain characters, frequently with fake controversies, to convince the public that they are real.
I've just looked at a couple of youtubes and you do see him with dogs in Thailand ... but don't know how much that means. He may well love dogs and want to help them but still be a huckster too.
It's possible I'm wrong and if it's proved to be the case I'll apologize and retract, but I'm pretty damn certain he's all kinds of off. Very easy to take photos of or feed street dogs in Asia. It doesn't mean doing so necessarily deserves hundreds of thousands of donations. When there's long established groups that have been doing their best there for decades.
Yeah, you've got to be so very wary of any charity really. And, of course, no way easier to raise money than for street dogs. You're in a much better position to judge than I am, Leo. But perhaps it's true that after a shocking bender in Thailand which had him in the ICU for 3 days his "moment" where he decided that he would dedicate his life to helping dogs is real :)
I didn’t know much about him until now but he definitely sounds full of BS. The media know that the emotionally led masses love a good story about someone ‘turning their life around’, especially if it involves dogs.
Great article thanks Leo, I don’t know how you find the time but hope you’ll do more 👍🏻
Thanks brother. Some people whose opinion I value a lot suggested the same, and I'm including you in that list. Writing's not really my thing as I don't think I really see the world in words. But maybe I'll try a few more.
I'm kinda cool doing my own thing generally, but some of the comments I read, inc yours, since Miri, Francis and I recorded our calls made me realise there's people out there whose feedback I value, and I'm more than happy to talk to them.
The chats between you, Miri and Francis are really enjoyable and informative, it’s great to hear all of your opinions, many of which are based on your real life experiences. Looking forward to the next one mate 👍🏻
I think your use of the phrase "humiliation ritual" cuts right to the heart of the issue.
It is not merely that we are being fed lies, but obvious and absurd lies. In fact, you have to work quite hard to avoid asking serious questions about these stories.
This demoralising effect will be most keenly felt amongst the Establishment media, who have to perform such mental gymnastics on a daily basis.
We are habit-forming creatures. Spend enough time practicing falsity, and the truth becomes unrecognizable.
Exactly and in large part why I wrote the piece. He seems prima facia fraudulent but so many fell for it. I also suspect given the MS attention they were going to show eventually the self-confessed drug addict as a fraud. So I thought I'd jump the gun to disrupt the timing. To demoralize, and it's real hard when people have donated and are invested in the lie. I gave away an embarrassing amount of money to frauds in 2020 to try to stop the shots. Most ego's can't handle how stupid we all can be imho
Hi Leo, replying here to your X response...and after properly reading this article. I can't answer your question re Paul Allen. Even if he was ill then with Hodgkin's lymphoma (diagnosed in 1982. Don't know if the dates/timings re N's employment add up) he wouldn't have been old. You're right. It's odd.
Don't understand the Charity's details either re trustees...director. Why not Niall? How did it operate prior to 2023?
According to the record Paul beat cancer twice (and importantly did not have it or any reported illness during NH's timeline) finally being diagnosed again in 2009 & 2018. If he worked for him at all it would have had to have been between 2002-2005, when Paul was perfectly healthy and active and still the owner of both mega-yachts pictured in the TedTalk.
I searched for the accounts of every multimillion dollar company and charity Niall has claimed to be a founder of. Where there are even records (which is rare) they show paper entities only, certainly not multimillion startups.
I know for myself he's lying because of my experience doing some of the things he claims to be, the preposterous number of sterlilisations he says he did in 2024, but I've also had several Thai animal charities that have been established for decades, who I know well, confirming he's a fraud. There's also no Thai company or charity registered, meaning if he's even doing anything other than taking selfies of sick street dogs or at other people's sanctuaries, he'd be doing it and fundraising illegally. Let alone reducing the countries population of dogs by half!
I am working behind the scenes to encourage them to make a public statement, (along with trying to get the Thai authorities, UK charity commission and media that promoted him to go on record).
I have personal communications that I can produce if needed but would rather they make their own positions clear.
I would encourage anyone concerned to make their own independent enquiries to all of the above, as I have done.
If enough people ask I am certain the truth can be ascertained. I promise I will update you as soon as I have more. Even if it turns out that I am wrong to be skeptical, I will own that, retract, apologize and donate.
Personally I doubt he will address my concerns as it might cause others to question his stories.
Ok, after further investigation I am at a bit of a loss as to how you can have the confidence to make such a strong allegation of fraud...
1. You obviously misinterpreted his paying for sterilizations to be done as him saying he performed the surgeries himself. This seems to have snowballed into a deep misunderstanding of his total number of sterilizations being impossible - but in truth, that is a pretty reasonable number given the amount of mobile sterilization units he has funded. In Samui for example, his partnership with Soi Dog resulted in about 40 sterilizations a day during my visit last year - each one documented in their daily logs.
3. Your framing of his career as a chef drifts in and out of misunderstanding that at this point seems intentional. To clear things up: he didn't work for Bill Gates, he worked on Paul Allen's yacht which hosted Bill's 50th birthday party. Does Niall drop names for status points? Sure. Does he oversell his career? Possibly. But if lying/embellishing on your resume is fraud, most of the world belong in prison.
May I suggest that your apparent dislike for this man may have obstructed your interpretation of the facts. You seem to have been looking for reasons to call him out instead of actually trying to understand him or his mission (as is obvious by how thoroughly you dug into his history while simultaneously misunderstanding so many basic facts). The vitriol drips off of every sentence in this article and this final question of whether people get refunded if he fails his ambitious goals seems incredibly cynical. Whatever your feelings about Niall, the idea that if something seems impossible, one should not try... Well, that's just sad.
I have never heard of him thank goodness, I believe nothing he is saying. It is so easy to present made up stories flesh them out with videos and present them to the public so that they pull and tug at emotions plus bring in money at the same time. Walter Mitty of the 21st century and sadly he appears to be just one of the very many presented to the public. Since the covid scam I now realise how easy it is to fool us, I believed at the beginning of 2020 the videos and media reports unaware of the lies and manipulation, never again.
Sorry for jumping in here, but jeeez, you really went full venom on this one! I have to say, your passion is something else. .
Before you crown yourself the Sherlock Holmes of animal rescue, maybe hit the brakes and take a breather.
First, I genuinely appreciate the charity work you do. Anyone helping animals deserves major respect. I volunteer locally in the UK too, but I know the scale is way smaller compared to what you, Niall, and the others tackle. It’s a whole different world out there. And yes, we all need to be cautious because unfortunately, there are plenty of fraudsters trying to take advantage of good intentions and hard-earned money. I've also witnessed how toxic the animal rescue world can be and some of these comments highlight this.
That said, did you actually reach out to Niall directly before sharing all this publicly on social media? Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but this feels more like a personal vendetta than constructive criticism—honestly, it comes across as spiteful. I’ve followe many rescues closely, including Niall’s from the start, and it’s clear how deeply passionate he is about his mission.
Now, you said if you’re wrong, you’d apologise, retract everything, and even donate to Niall’s cause...that’s a big promise.
You might want to look into his agenda again. Right now he is on a tour promoting his new book and bathing in fame... and meanwhile he let down the amazing organization Rob Dogs and pulled out his sponsorship for sterilization dogs and cats. Rob Dogs is the only organization that is fully dedicated to sterilization of animals on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. They absolutely depend on donations. So this says all about Niall's dedication to sterilization of dogs on Samui. He claims that he feeds 300 dogs daily. Twisted facts. True, they prepare food for 300 dogs. His team feeds about 100. The rest is distributed among the so-called "feeders": people or groups of people who feed and take care of street dogs in their free time and do not associate with Niall and his rescue. So why not to say the truth and even name those people who tirelessly help dogs? Well... then it becomes clear that he is not the only hero on Samui... and there are groups that do more for street dogs than Niall. His newsletters are full with twisted and manipulated information. My guess, his only goal is fame.
Absolutely! And the list goes on. We have Terri and Her Hounds, Happy Tails Sanctuary, Mike Duval and his rescue, Elfie's World with hundreds of dogs receiving love and care. Numerous individuals, foreigners and Thai, out there in the street taking care of homeless animals. Niall is not the only "hero" on Samui and, honestly, he is doing less than other groups. But he never mentions other people who care about dogs more than he does. All fame should be just his!
What an utterly bizarre article, poorly written and gleaming with bile, can almost imagine yourself frothing when writing it.
What a literally horrendous thing to do and look for holes in what is an incredible story and has brought so much joy and attention onto the suffering of street dogs and the need for animal welfare. Niall has done more for street dogs (generate funding for his and fellow street dog charities) than anyone else has for a considerable length of time, and all you can do is pick holes in him for what, jealousy? That he has a profile you could only dream of? Seriously?
All the barrel scraping claims you make are grounded in very little at all. He never claims to feed/treat all the dogs himself, he has always gone to great lengths to outline what he does if you actually bothered to watch his content. You did notice, for example, that ran several social media companies, and that is where his skill is. He makes brilliant social media content that gets attention, and money, then distributes that money to feed and save dogs in Ko Samui, the rest of Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. He gives the established charities money. This is what he says on his channel, in the Ben Fogle programme, and in many other of his statements, if you could be bothered to read any of them.
What an utterly odd man that someone like you chooses to pick holes in someone that has been through the mill, and is using his expertise in social media to gain awareness and generate funds for Happy Doggo and the rest of the charity teams that are already saving dogs. You are for some reason, jealous, in the same way as bands start to slate bands that become successful (I know what this is like). Get a life.
"he claims to have performed his first surgery in the street after some local dog feeders showed him how to (he doesn’t mention if they were veterinarians or where he got the anesthesia from) @4:15" ----- Niall is quite obviously say it was the first dog he had taken to get sterilized (outside of his pets). You seem to have misinterpreted this to mean he performed the procedure, but he quite clearly discusses price and even documented his many trips to the vet on social media. Hope this helps clear up the matter; I agree that the total number of sterilizations seems a tad inflated and will investigate further but if I had to guess: he's probably calculating the efforts of grantee organizations he sponsored. Soi Dog being the largest, but again - I will need to investigate further.
Kudos to you. I admire each & everyone who is involved in animal welfare. I am sure you wouldn't appreciate people calling u a scam? Hurtful. However, Borneo is not Thailand.
Maybe you could take a visit here? I would be happy to meet with you & you can see for yourself without relying on disgruntled charities.
But, I am sure you are very busy running your Wildlife Charity. Surely, you have enough on your plate in Borneo?
Please contact me privately if u would like to discuss. Have said my peace.
People did call me a scam throughout 2020/22 when I (correctly) pointed out that primates are entirely unaffected by convid and that there was no pandemic. I don't care what noise people make or the opinion of the propagandized masses. I'm interested in what's true or not.
Great article! Finally the truth is coming out! I live on Samui and part of the wonderful community helping street dogs here. The man in question is a big fake and imposter. Sure, he does help some dogs and this is great, but notbthe extend he claims. The facts he presents in his newsletters and interviews are very twisted, the truth is manipulated. There many real heroes on Samui who save dogs. Niall is not one of them. He has his very questionable agenda.
Thank you Nanu, your comment along with others I've heard that say the same helps to confirm my suspicions.
Never heard of him but just looking him up now I see he has form.
https://m.independent.ie/regionals/herald/website-apologises-over-factually-inaccurate-review-of-restaurant/30911753.html
Thanks I hadn't seen that one, though there are countless like it. I believe the media build up certain characters, frequently with fake controversies, to convince the public that they are real.
I've just looked at a couple of youtubes and you do see him with dogs in Thailand ... but don't know how much that means. He may well love dogs and want to help them but still be a huckster too.
It's possible I'm wrong and if it's proved to be the case I'll apologize and retract, but I'm pretty damn certain he's all kinds of off. Very easy to take photos of or feed street dogs in Asia. It doesn't mean doing so necessarily deserves hundreds of thousands of donations. When there's long established groups that have been doing their best there for decades.
Yeah, you've got to be so very wary of any charity really. And, of course, no way easier to raise money than for street dogs. You're in a much better position to judge than I am, Leo. But perhaps it's true that after a shocking bender in Thailand which had him in the ICU for 3 days his "moment" where he decided that he would dedicate his life to helping dogs is real :)
Interesting
I'm glad it was you to be the first person to read my first Substack!
Yay 😃 good work Leo x
Sounds like a suitable grifter and fantasist has been found to seed the narrative of pet euthanasia.
I didn’t know much about him until now but he definitely sounds full of BS. The media know that the emotionally led masses love a good story about someone ‘turning their life around’, especially if it involves dogs.
Great article thanks Leo, I don’t know how you find the time but hope you’ll do more 👍🏻
Thanks brother. Some people whose opinion I value a lot suggested the same, and I'm including you in that list. Writing's not really my thing as I don't think I really see the world in words. But maybe I'll try a few more.
I'm kinda cool doing my own thing generally, but some of the comments I read, inc yours, since Miri, Francis and I recorded our calls made me realise there's people out there whose feedback I value, and I'm more than happy to talk to them.
[fist bump emoji]
The chats between you, Miri and Francis are really enjoyable and informative, it’s great to hear all of your opinions, many of which are based on your real life experiences. Looking forward to the next one mate 👍🏻
I think your use of the phrase "humiliation ritual" cuts right to the heart of the issue.
It is not merely that we are being fed lies, but obvious and absurd lies. In fact, you have to work quite hard to avoid asking serious questions about these stories.
This demoralising effect will be most keenly felt amongst the Establishment media, who have to perform such mental gymnastics on a daily basis.
We are habit-forming creatures. Spend enough time practicing falsity, and the truth becomes unrecognizable.
Exactly and in large part why I wrote the piece. He seems prima facia fraudulent but so many fell for it. I also suspect given the MS attention they were going to show eventually the self-confessed drug addict as a fraud. So I thought I'd jump the gun to disrupt the timing. To demoralize, and it's real hard when people have donated and are invested in the lie. I gave away an embarrassing amount of money to frauds in 2020 to try to stop the shots. Most ego's can't handle how stupid we all can be imho
https://romaninukraine.com/the-purpose-of-communist-propaganda-was-not-to-persuade-or-convince-not-to-inform-but-to-humiliate/
Got to admit that last one with Alba had me upset! 😆
You’re a good egg Leo.
Thanks man. I do my best to be honest and just say what I see.
Hi Leo, replying here to your X response...and after properly reading this article. I can't answer your question re Paul Allen. Even if he was ill then with Hodgkin's lymphoma (diagnosed in 1982. Don't know if the dates/timings re N's employment add up) he wouldn't have been old. You're right. It's odd.
Don't understand the Charity's details either re trustees...director. Why not Niall? How did it operate prior to 2023?
https://www.happydoggo.com/charity-information
Hello Pauline.
According to the record Paul beat cancer twice (and importantly did not have it or any reported illness during NH's timeline) finally being diagnosed again in 2009 & 2018. If he worked for him at all it would have had to have been between 2002-2005, when Paul was perfectly healthy and active and still the owner of both mega-yachts pictured in the TedTalk.
I searched for the accounts of every multimillion dollar company and charity Niall has claimed to be a founder of. Where there are even records (which is rare) they show paper entities only, certainly not multimillion startups.
He is listed as a director of Happy Doggo the company here https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15027127/officers but they've filed no accounts yet, so where the tens of thousands of donations are going is anybody's guess.
I know for myself he's lying because of my experience doing some of the things he claims to be, the preposterous number of sterlilisations he says he did in 2024, but I've also had several Thai animal charities that have been established for decades, who I know well, confirming he's a fraud. There's also no Thai company or charity registered, meaning if he's even doing anything other than taking selfies of sick street dogs or at other people's sanctuaries, he'd be doing it and fundraising illegally. Let alone reducing the countries population of dogs by half!
Would be marvellous if he could somehow find the time to make a short video addressing all this 😉
Are you able to name the Thai charities claiming Niall is essentially engaged in fraud? And are they warning others?
Very curious indeed. Appreciate your reply. You did your homework here. Well done.
I am working behind the scenes to encourage them to make a public statement, (along with trying to get the Thai authorities, UK charity commission and media that promoted him to go on record).
I have personal communications that I can produce if needed but would rather they make their own positions clear.
I would encourage anyone concerned to make their own independent enquiries to all of the above, as I have done.
If enough people ask I am certain the truth can be ascertained. I promise I will update you as soon as I have more. Even if it turns out that I am wrong to be skeptical, I will own that, retract, apologize and donate.
Personally I doubt he will address my concerns as it might cause others to question his stories.
I suspect you won’t have to set aside any liquidity to cover any future donations.
I remain quietly confident that wont be needed tbf.
But if I am wrong, I swear, I'll feel terrible and give his cause £500. If I am wrong,
👍
Ok, after further investigation I am at a bit of a loss as to how you can have the confidence to make such a strong allegation of fraud...
1. You obviously misinterpreted his paying for sterilizations to be done as him saying he performed the surgeries himself. This seems to have snowballed into a deep misunderstanding of his total number of sterilizations being impossible - but in truth, that is a pretty reasonable number given the amount of mobile sterilization units he has funded. In Samui for example, his partnership with Soi Dog resulted in about 40 sterilizations a day during my visit last year - each one documented in their daily logs.
2. Not sure what's controversial about his previous businesses? His exits were widely reported on and his net worth lines up almost precisely with someone who made a modest exit from businesses this size. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/niall-harbison-sells-out-of-lovin-media-in-deal-that-values-it-at-3m-1.3521565
3. Your framing of his career as a chef drifts in and out of misunderstanding that at this point seems intentional. To clear things up: he didn't work for Bill Gates, he worked on Paul Allen's yacht which hosted Bill's 50th birthday party. Does Niall drop names for status points? Sure. Does he oversell his career? Possibly. But if lying/embellishing on your resume is fraud, most of the world belong in prison.
May I suggest that your apparent dislike for this man may have obstructed your interpretation of the facts. You seem to have been looking for reasons to call him out instead of actually trying to understand him or his mission (as is obvious by how thoroughly you dug into his history while simultaneously misunderstanding so many basic facts). The vitriol drips off of every sentence in this article and this final question of whether people get refunded if he fails his ambitious goals seems incredibly cynical. Whatever your feelings about Niall, the idea that if something seems impossible, one should not try... Well, that's just sad.
Glad to see you writing here Leo!
PS; Im Squid on the other Ap
I have never heard of him thank goodness, I believe nothing he is saying. It is so easy to present made up stories flesh them out with videos and present them to the public so that they pull and tug at emotions plus bring in money at the same time. Walter Mitty of the 21st century and sadly he appears to be just one of the very many presented to the public. Since the covid scam I now realise how easy it is to fool us, I believed at the beginning of 2020 the videos and media reports unaware of the lies and manipulation, never again.
Totally agree, we're manipulated through our emotions primarily, of that I'm certain.
Hey Leo,
Sorry for jumping in here, but jeeez, you really went full venom on this one! I have to say, your passion is something else. .
Before you crown yourself the Sherlock Holmes of animal rescue, maybe hit the brakes and take a breather.
First, I genuinely appreciate the charity work you do. Anyone helping animals deserves major respect. I volunteer locally in the UK too, but I know the scale is way smaller compared to what you, Niall, and the others tackle. It’s a whole different world out there. And yes, we all need to be cautious because unfortunately, there are plenty of fraudsters trying to take advantage of good intentions and hard-earned money. I've also witnessed how toxic the animal rescue world can be and some of these comments highlight this.
That said, did you actually reach out to Niall directly before sharing all this publicly on social media? Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but this feels more like a personal vendetta than constructive criticism—honestly, it comes across as spiteful. I’ve followe many rescues closely, including Niall’s from the start, and it’s clear how deeply passionate he is about his mission.
Now, you said if you’re wrong, you’d apologise, retract everything, and even donate to Niall’s cause...that’s a big promise.
Are we likely to see that soon???
Come on people you can do better 🤦🏼♀️
Cheers, C
You might want to look into his agenda again. Right now he is on a tour promoting his new book and bathing in fame... and meanwhile he let down the amazing organization Rob Dogs and pulled out his sponsorship for sterilization dogs and cats. Rob Dogs is the only organization that is fully dedicated to sterilization of animals on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. They absolutely depend on donations. So this says all about Niall's dedication to sterilization of dogs on Samui. He claims that he feeds 300 dogs daily. Twisted facts. True, they prepare food for 300 dogs. His team feeds about 100. The rest is distributed among the so-called "feeders": people or groups of people who feed and take care of street dogs in their free time and do not associate with Niall and his rescue. So why not to say the truth and even name those people who tirelessly help dogs? Well... then it becomes clear that he is not the only hero on Samui... and there are groups that do more for street dogs than Niall. His newsletters are full with twisted and manipulated information. My guess, his only goal is fame.
These are the true animal heroes of Koh Samui https://www.sistersonsamui.org/helping-animals-one-life-at-a-time/
Absolutely! And the list goes on. We have Terri and Her Hounds, Happy Tails Sanctuary, Mike Duval and his rescue, Elfie's World with hundreds of dogs receiving love and care. Numerous individuals, foreigners and Thai, out there in the street taking care of homeless animals. Niall is not the only "hero" on Samui and, honestly, he is doing less than other groups. But he never mentions other people who care about dogs more than he does. All fame should be just his!
These are the true animal heroes of Koh Samui https://www.sistersonsamui.org/helping-animals-one-life-at-a-time/
What an utterly bizarre article, poorly written and gleaming with bile, can almost imagine yourself frothing when writing it.
What a literally horrendous thing to do and look for holes in what is an incredible story and has brought so much joy and attention onto the suffering of street dogs and the need for animal welfare. Niall has done more for street dogs (generate funding for his and fellow street dog charities) than anyone else has for a considerable length of time, and all you can do is pick holes in him for what, jealousy? That he has a profile you could only dream of? Seriously?
All the barrel scraping claims you make are grounded in very little at all. He never claims to feed/treat all the dogs himself, he has always gone to great lengths to outline what he does if you actually bothered to watch his content. You did notice, for example, that ran several social media companies, and that is where his skill is. He makes brilliant social media content that gets attention, and money, then distributes that money to feed and save dogs in Ko Samui, the rest of Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. He gives the established charities money. This is what he says on his channel, in the Ben Fogle programme, and in many other of his statements, if you could be bothered to read any of them.
What an utterly odd man that someone like you chooses to pick holes in someone that has been through the mill, and is using his expertise in social media to gain awareness and generate funds for Happy Doggo and the rest of the charity teams that are already saving dogs. You are for some reason, jealous, in the same way as bands start to slate bands that become successful (I know what this is like). Get a life.
"he claims to have performed his first surgery in the street after some local dog feeders showed him how to (he doesn’t mention if they were veterinarians or where he got the anesthesia from) @4:15" ----- Niall is quite obviously say it was the first dog he had taken to get sterilized (outside of his pets). You seem to have misinterpreted this to mean he performed the procedure, but he quite clearly discusses price and even documented his many trips to the vet on social media. Hope this helps clear up the matter; I agree that the total number of sterilizations seems a tad inflated and will investigate further but if I had to guess: he's probably calculating the efforts of grantee organizations he sponsored. Soi Dog being the largest, but again - I will need to investigate further.
Kudos to you. I admire each & everyone who is involved in animal welfare. I am sure you wouldn't appreciate people calling u a scam? Hurtful. However, Borneo is not Thailand.
Maybe you could take a visit here? I would be happy to meet with you & you can see for yourself without relying on disgruntled charities.
But, I am sure you are very busy running your Wildlife Charity. Surely, you have enough on your plate in Borneo?
Please contact me privately if u would like to discuss. Have said my peace.
People did call me a scam throughout 2020/22 when I (correctly) pointed out that primates are entirely unaffected by convid and that there was no pandemic. I don't care what noise people make or the opinion of the propagandized masses. I'm interested in what's true or not.