Latest news with #HappyDoggo
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Who is ‘Buttons'? The dog who stole Liam Gallagher's heart
Oasis performed their first gigs in 16 years at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 4 and 5 July, receiving rave reviews. During the band's performance of "Roll With It", a dog was prominently displayed on the large screens behind Liam Gallagher, puzzling many fans. Niall Harbison, founder of Happy Doggo, revealed the dog is named Buttons, a Thai ridgeback puppy rescued from his sanctuary in Thailand. Buttons was adopted by Liam Gallagher and his partner Debbie after being abandoned as a puppy and seeking refuge at the sanctuary. The projection of Buttons on screen was a tribute from Liam Gallagher, who has also supported Harbison's charity, Happy Doggo, through donations. 'Remarkable' true story of Oasis dog on band's concert graphics revealed
Extra.ie
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Liam Gallagher pays tribute to dog he adopted from Irishman's rescue shelter
A chocolate Labrador who was abandoned in a Thai jungle has had a second chance at life after Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher adopted her. Buttons was abandoned at just five months old after her owners decided she was no longer 'cute enough.' The sweet pup found a home at charity and sanctuary, Happy Doggo, where she 'slowly checked herself in.' A chocolate Labrador who was abandoned in a Thai jungle has had a second chance at life after Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher adopted her. Pic: Happy Doggo was founded by Irish man Niall Harbison in 2021 with the aim of reducing the suffering of dogs worldwide. Based in Thailand, and spurred on by all the homeless and abandoned dogs, Niall has a particular focus on Thailand and South East Asia. Recalling rescuing Buttons, Niall took to social media saying: 'I remember telling her I'd find her a home and she was too soft for the streets. I hadn't quite imagined it would be that sort of home! It's a funny old world but little buttons has landed on her little paws.' Buttons was adopted by the Oasis star in 2023, with Liam previously expressing his love for his canine friend. Liam Gallagher added that his love for the dog is 'terrible' and makes him not want to tour anymore because he wants to 'stay at home with her.' Pic: Liam Gallagher/ Instagram Speaking on the Jonathan Ross Show, the singer explained how he 'fell in love with Buttons' having followed Niall on social media. 'We follow this geezer, this Irish lad who rescues them, and they've been all battered and stuff and beaten up,' Liam shared, 'We fell in love with Buttons, and then he flew her over from Thailand and then got her on a ferry from Amsterdam to me.' Liam added that his love for the dog is 'terrible' and makes him not want to tour anymore because he wants to 'stay at home with her.' Asked if he was planning on getting a canine friend for Buttons, Liam answered: 'Nah, I'm gonna keep as it is because she's perfect man, I don't want to be spoiling the party.' Liam and brother Noel reunited on Friday night for the first time in more than ten years as the brothers are set to perform almost 50 nights of the greatest Oasis hits this summer. One clip from the shows, which took place in Cardiff on Friday and Saturday, saw a graphic of Buttons appear on the screen behind her beloved dad Liam singing. Niall shared a glimpse of the footage online with people taking to the comments full of praise. One said: 'You are an amazing geezer Niall! You are all the ones that saved her!!' Another added: 'The happy ending every dog deserves!' A third commented: 'So cute to see how much he loves her.'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Oasis fans spot Liam Gallagher's heartwarming hidden tribute during Cardiff gigs
As Oasis took the stage for the first time in 16 years, Liam Gallagher gave a heartwarming tribute to his dog Buttons who he rescued from Thailand two years ago As Liam Gallagher reunited with his brother Noel Gallagher on the stage for the first time in 16 years, he gave a heartwarming tribute to his dog during their first gig back. As they took the stage in Cardiff to open their iconic reunion tour, an image of the dog named Buttons was included in the visuals on the big screen behind the brothers. Buttons has a wild life story of starting out homeless in Thailand to finding a home with one of the Oasis frontmen. Niall Harbison, who founded the Happy Doggo sanctuary in Thailand, explained the dog's wonderful story online, which triggered a huge response from fans. He explained that the dog Buttons was an abandoned puppy who walked into the sanctuary while it was being built and ended up getting adopted by none other than Liam Gallagher. Naill wrote on X, formally known as Twitter, 'Most people were probably looking at Liam Gallagher and Oasis on stage, Look a little closer and you'll spot a dog called Buttons. "Her's is a remarkable story. Buttons was a little puppy who walked into our sanctuary in Thailand in the middle of the jungle just as it was getting built. She had been abandoned. She kept coming back daily for food and hoping for company. 'Day after day Buttons came back. I eventually took her in and put her up for adoption. Little did I know but Liam and his partner Debbie had been following. After a long process she was adopted to them in the UK.' The sweet dog could be seen in multicolours on the big screen with a button on either side of its adorable face while the brothers performed to a huge crowd. Continuing the story, Naill added: 'Buttons has grown into a beloved member of the family and landed on her paws. Liam has been a big supporter of We Are Happy Doggo, and donated his globe from the last tour to raise funds.' 'I don't think Buttons realises her dad is a rock star. She just loves her humans. So if you are wondering why there is a dog on the Oasis screens now you know. Well done Buttons. I think you can say you've made it when your dad has you on the big screen.' One person wrote in response: "She is a gorgeous dog! What a wonderful story!", while another added: "Buttons is a rags-to-riches story, going from days of not knowing if a human would feed her, or kick her, to being queen of someone's heart. She even looks regal.' In addition, Oasis delivered a touching tribute to the late footballer Diogo Jota. The Gallagher brothers performed their 1994 classic Live Forever in memory of Jota, who tragically passed away at the age of 28, along with his younger brother, following a devastating car crash on July 3.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Liam Gallagher pays tribute to beloved pet pooch during Oasis reunion tour
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has paid tribute to his beloved rescue dog, Buttons, on stage in Cardiff. Liam rescued Buttons from Thailand from Irishman Niall Harbison, who runs the Happy Doggo sanctuary. A crowd of 75,000 fans in Cardiff watching the long-awaited reunion of Oasis this weekend got a little bit of a hidden treat with another star of the show - Liam's rescue dog Buttons. The blink-and-you'd-miss-it appearance of Buttons on the giant screen behind the band on their first gigs in 16 years reveals an unlikely but heart-warming story of an Irishman who runs a dog rescue sanctuary in the heart of Thailand. Niall Harbison shared the story of Buttons, a dog who was one of the first he rescued as he built a new sanctuary in Thailand, which he called "remarkable", as he posted a clip of Buttons' appearance as an integral part of Oasis' new shows. The band's frontman has always been a dog lover, and he had his partner Debbie began following Niall's efforts to save and rehome abandoned, ill or stray dogs in Thailand. Niall's stories showing how he nurses dogs back to health have got him millions of followers on social media, and people do apply to offer them a new home in the UK. One email to add to the list did catch his eye - it was from the Oasis star offering to give a home in the UK to Buttons, one of the dogs living in the sanctuary. Niall told the Daily Mirror back in May this year that it seemed strange talking to the world-famous frontman on a Zoom call to vet his character. "Up popped Liam Gallagher on the screen with his partner," Niall said. "I'm asking him questions, thinking 'this is nuts', but what was really funny was, I thought 'it must be the wife that's watching this on Instagram and she's dragged him in to make sure they get the dog'. "But then he started to open up [about the other dogs on Niall's social media]. It was a real mind blower to be honest," he said. "He's a real funny, just genuine dog lover, you know? He's just very, very funny and loves the dogs." The former head chef went on: "It would have been tricky if you got a celebrity and they weren't [suitable]. We'd have to say no. But with him, it wasn't even a question. The only question was they had a couple of cats so we had to test Buttons with a couple of cats to make sure, but he was the ideal owner, I'd say." And he joked that he felt like saying to Liam that he is "softening" his reputation. "I think people who like dogs just melt. It makes you see a different side to people, absolutely," he said. And after Buttons featured in the most widely anticipated rock reunion for years, Niall took to social media again to share his joy at seeing Buttons, sharing the dog's tale on X/Twitter. 'Most people were probably looking at Liam Gallagher and Oasis on stage,' he said, after spotting Buttons on the big screen. 'Look a little closer and you'll spot a dog called Buttons. Her's is a remarkable story. 'Buttons was a little puppy who walked into our sanctuary in Thailand in the middle of the jungle just as it was getting built. She had been abandoned. She kept coming back daily for food and hoping for company. 'Day after day Buttons came back. I eventually took her in and put her up for adoption. Little did I know but Liam and his partner Debbie had been following. After a long process she was adopted to them in the UK. 'Buttons has grown into a beloved member of the family and landed on her paws. Liam has been a big supporter of We Are Happy Doggo, and donated his globe from the last tour to raise funds.' 'I don't think Buttons realizes her dad is a rock star. She just loves her humans. Two years ago she was abandoned as a puppy in Thailand. Buttons set out to make herself a better life by sneaking into our sanctuary. She certainly did that. So if you are wondering why there is a dog on the Oasis screens now you know,' he added. 'Well done Buttons. I think you can say you've made it when your dad has you on the big screen.' Liam has spoken before about his love for Buttons, who joined his family a year or so ago. 'We follow this geezer, this Irish lad who rescues them, and they've been all battered and beaten and stuff,' he told Jonathon Ross's chat show. 'So we fell in love with Buttons and then he flew her over from Thailand and got on a ferry from Amsterdam to me. I don't want to go on tour no more, I want to stay at home with her. I'm going to keep it as it is because she's perfect.' Last year on a solo tour, Liam dedicated his rendition of the Oasis classic Half A World Away to Buttons, and then at the end of the tour, he put one of the centrepiece stage props - a giant globe from his Definitely Maybe tour - up for auction. It raised £25,000, which he donated to Niall Harbison's work in Thailand. Niall's post has had more than 18,000 likes on X, with more than 250 people commenting. Geepers808 said: "From abandoned and hoping for food and company to being on stage and a rock star! So happy that you helped Buttons find the life she deserves!" Aron wrote: "Just the pick me up I needed on this grey Sunday morning." Patti Collins: "Buttons is living her best life."
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
I was an alcoholic who saved an abused dog - until the unthinkable happened
After hitting rock bottom, Niall Harbison started rescuing street dogs in Thailand. Then he found an emaciated golden retriever who embraced her freedom after life on a chain… Moving to Thailand and giving up everything to care for stray, starving and abused dogs wasn't on Niall Harbison's bingo card seven years ago when he was running his own business in Manchester. But suffering from depression, alcoholism and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), he knew he needed a life change, and after visiting the South East Asian country a few times before, he decided to make the leap. 'I'm quite impulsive,' says Niall, 45, from Tyrone, Northern Ireland. 'I sold my business so I had a little bit of money. The idea was to relax and find something to do. I came here to escape the rat race and get healthy. But when I got to Thailand I had nothing to do, there was nobody to tell me not to drink so I drank every day for more than a year. "It was a combination of things - I broke up with a girlfriend who moved here with me, it was covid and everyone was drinking a lot. I was stuck in the house with nothing to do - I always like to be busy and I had no purpose. All those factors came together.' He was living on the paradise island of Koh Samui, yet Niall was just stuck inside, drinking. 'I drank myself nearly to death,' he says. After being rushed to hospital, where he was treated in the ICU ('they were pumping me with drugs as it's dangerous to detox too quickly'), he had a series of revelations about his life. 'When I was nearly dying, I thought that no one's going to care or remember you if you didn't do anything worthwhile. I realised that money and fancy possessions don't really matter. I knew that, if I survived this, I wanted to do something worthwhile. The things that had flashed in front of my eyes were memories of playing football as a kid, and my dog. " Dogs were a huge thing for me as a child and as soon as I got my first house when I was 33, I got a dog the next day. He was a labrador-cross called Snoop - he came to Thailand with me.' (Snoop died last year). In early 2021, once Niall was healthy again, he started stopping to feed the odd stray dog. 'There are a lot of dogs in this part of the world,' he says. 'One day, I fed one in the middle of nowhere but then I thought, 'who's going to feed this dog tomorrow? So I went back to that one dog and noticed more, so it started organically like that.' He didn't realise but that was the start of Happy Doggo, a charity dedicated to helping neglected and mistreated street dogs, that now employs 18 people, including a vet, with the goal of saving 10,000 dogs a month. Dedicated fans of Niall and his charity's work are gripped by the stories he shares on social media to his 1.8 million followers, showcasing the animals' incredible transformations from skin and bones at the point of rescue to looking sleek, happy and well-fed, often heading off to their forever homes (Liam Gallagher adopted one, Buttons, who'd been abandoned as a puppy). 'I put the stories online to share some positivity. Everyone is sick of wars and the cost of living. It's all bad news and I try to put something positive out there and that's resonated with people.' Each rescue is given a celebrity name, with Cindy Crawford, Britney, Emma Stone and Tom Cruise all wagging their tails and melting hearts at Happy Doggo's sanctuary. But Niall says, 'There was no big magic plan. I was feeding and doing my own thing. I had no social media at that stage and my friends and family were always worried about me. I started sharing the videos on Instagram for them and it snowballed.' The number of dogs he helped also rose. 'It was step by step - I started feeding 40 dogs, not crazy expensive - I started cooking for them and making cheaper food with rice and chicken. Then it was 60, and it got up to 80 dogs everyday. It was eating into my savings but it was giving me such a big sense of purpose. It was very fulfilling. 'The dogs would come running and follow my moped. It was the first time in my life that I felt reliable - I was so conscious of the fact that they were relying on me. Then I learned more and realised that they needed to be sterilised. I also realised that they were sick. I needed somewhere to take the very sick dogs so I built a sanctuary in the jungle.' By the end of 2022, Niall was able to help dogs who needed more than a regular meal - those being mistreated, starved and forced to breed relentlessly. Then a few months later he heard about a horribly neglected golden retriever used for breeding. She ended up inspiring him so much that he has written a book in her honour, Tina: The Dog Who Changed the World. 'A tourist had driven past her, DM-ed me her location on Instagram. I went to see her owners who don't want to lose face so they said, 'she got hit by a car, she's got some internal issues'. We asked, 'can we take her?' and never heard from them again.' He called her Tina after Tina Turner - 'the blonde spiky hair fit perfectly,' he smiles. 'You could tell she was amazing. But at the start she was terrible - on a chain and emaciated. In those days I didn't know what to do with starving dogs and I gave her a big meal to get some food in her belly. She started bloating - I had fed her too much and I nearly killed her.' He took Tina to the vet but Niall admits, 'I didn't think she'd make it. I thought we were taking her away to die. The first few days were touch and go, then I thought she might live a week or two. 'She was starved, she had terrible skin - very bad mange - and blood disease from ticks that suck their blood and give them tick fever. She was probably about eight or nine but she'd had a tough life, which makes it hard to tell her age.' But defying all odds, Tina got better. She started following Niall everywhere, smiling and wagging her tail. 'She was like a golden retriever in a movie,' he says. 'It felt like the first time she had freedom. She wasn't aggressive - she loved people so much. 'I didn't need to put a lead on her, she'd try and sit as close to you as possible - a real lap dog. Even though she'd had so much trauma and all her babies taken away, she didn't have an ounce of badness in her. From day one, I had her in my house to make sure she wouldn't die on her own. She'd sleep in my bed, on my head sometimes! 'For three or four months she was bubbly and looking great, and then we got the call after taking her for a routine check-up. I can still remember it: stage four kidney failure, which means you've got a couple of months at best. 'It was a result of her body being battered over the years - it all caught up with her. She had made it so far and had tasted freedom and got that blow. It was a bitter pill to swallow.' In August 2023, Tina died. She had been with Niall for six months, surviving just two more months after her diagnosis. 'She lived more in those six months than anyone could have. We took her everywhere on adventures, it was a wonderful end to her life.' Tina, says Niall, is the 'driving force' behind Happy Doggo, which now feeds 1,200 street dogs a day and rehomes dogs around the world. 'It's a constant battle and I never give up feeding the dogs. I do that every morning. That's why I got into it and that's what I love.' Niall's mental health has improved. 'I haven't drunk for four years,' he says. 'But I still suffer from depression. Not like before - it never goes away - but it's much better.' And Tina's attitude inspires Niall to this day. 'There are times when I think about giving up or taking a break but she makes me push on. I think of her face when I feel stressed. Thinking of her and her suffering gives the whole thing purpose and a mission.
