An endearing stray dog in Thailand has won the affection of many for her unique way of expressing gratitude to the man who feeds her daily. The canine, known as Snickers, consistently surprises Niall Harbison with various gifts each time he arrives with food.
Sharing his experience on X (formerly Twitter), Harbison said: “I feed 80 street dogs every morning in Thailand and while they are all grateful one dog goes above and beyond in her appreciation. Her name is Snickers and every single day without fail she brings me a gift.
“As soon as she hears the bike coming Snickers will find something nice in the hedges to bring me. In this case some ramen noodles and a bowl.” Snickers, who roams the streets with her pals Mars Bar, Milky Way, Rolo, and Bumper, seems to put considerable thought into her offerings. Harbison’s favourite tokens include a shoe, a child’s toy, and a coconut.
He often finds footwear among the presents, leading him to joke that Snickers might be hinting he needs more robust shoes than his usual flip flops. Alongside these quirky gifts, Snickers also contributes to tidying up the environment by bringing him litter like food wrappers and water bottles, which Harbison then recycles.
He noted: “The gifts will change daily and are very carefully thought out. There have been many sticks for example. Footwear is also quite common. I think Snickers is trying to tell me that I need something sturdier than the flip flops I currently wear.
“She even brought me a digger to help with the work on Tina’s hospital. Sometimes the gift will be as an old plastic bag but it is the way she delivers them so proudly and with such enthusiasm that makes all the gifts feel truly unique. There have been coconuts, water bottles, sweet packets and little bowls to eat her food out of. Snickers is always super inventive and considerate with her gift selection.
“All the other dogs are only ever worried about chasing the bike and getting their breakfast. You can see Snickers here peeling off to get her daily gift. A very grateful and kind street dog is Snickers. We could all learn a lot from her.”
Niall Harbison, who made it his mission to save 10,000 dogs a month, encourages his 418,000 followers to donate to Happy Doggo. He launched Happy Doggo in early 2021 while recovering from a near-death experience due to substance abuse.
A statement on his website reads: “He began feeding and vaccinating as many dogs as he could, but he quickly realised that sterilisation was the only way to fix the problem long-term.” Since starting his charity project, Niall has opened a sanctuary for sick street dogs, providing them with a space to recuperate.