Watch: The incredible story of little Rodney and his new life in Wales

Here is the gorgeous story of how a street dog from Thailand won the dog lottery when he captured the hearts of a Welsh couple.

Rodney was a tiny puppy when he was found alone and in a terrible state at the side of the road in Koh Samui, with a skin condition and malnourishment that was threatening his life.

Spotted at the last minute by someone who works with Niall Harbison who runs Saving the Thai Street Dogs, little Rodney’s skin was covered in scabs and disease, he was alone in a dangerous world and his hopes of survival were slim to none.

When he managed to survive the first few days and started to respond to treatment, Niall knew he had to find the hopeful little fella a special home.

Out of five hundred applicants from across the world, he found a couple who had been following the rescue Instagram page for a while, who knew, along with their good-natured older hound, Khabib, that they could open their hearts and their home to this little dog with nine lives.

In a video which cannot fail to bring a tear to the eye, the couple who introduce themselves as Rodney’s Mum and Dad, explain how they traveled to Thailand to meet Rodney so that when he made the long journey to Wales, they would be familiar to him.

Cam explains that he was recently bereaved when he caved into his partner’s pleas to offer a home to another dog, and during the trip that would change their lives, they decided to get engaged too.

Just over a week ago, when the day of his arrival dawned, Rodney knew his new family straight away and was welcomed to Wales with a new Welsh collar and a ‘Puppacino’ from Starbucks.

But we’ll let them tell the rest of the remarkable story of Rodney’s journey from desperation to the best home in the world. The first few images are hard to watch, but bear with it… it’s a story of joy and hope.

Pour yourself a tea, coffee or whatever it is you drink and take a little moment to enjoy this. I promise you'll be smiling by the end of it…

The incredible story of little Rodney and his new life in Wales 🥰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 pic.twitter.com/tNllahpujE

— Niall Harbison (@NiallHarbison) July 29, 2023

Niall Harbison, an Irishman who lives in Thailand, is on a mission to save 10,000 dogs a month, a goal he pursues by feeding and rescuing the strays and street dogs he finds and getting them access to neutering and veterinary treatment.

He funds his work himself and through donations raised locally, and aims to decrease the number of unwanted pups by pushing a neutering programme. Watch the full story of how Niall set about his mission here.

Follow the ongoing adventures of Rodney and Khabib here and to support the work of Niall and his team follow them on Instagram or Twitter