From the outside looking in, Michael Baines is living every dog lover's dream.
Just an hour south of Bangkok, Thailand, as the sun rises over rows of cassava plants and Royal Palms, he rises early to walk his 14 dogs – Carrot, Itto, Puppy, Flower, Damm, Marshall, Rocky, Rosie, Café, Balloo, Love, Dtan, Shy, and Kaow.
This sunrise walk is only the first of many; Baines is the President and Co-Founder of The Man That Rescues Dogs (TMTRD), a dog rescue and rehabilitation center for stray, sick, and paralyzed dogs (including the affectionately named, TikTok-famous ‘Wheelchair Mafia’) in Bang Saen. Since its founding in 2017, the organization has grown steadily.
Today, the sanctuary houses 766 dogs and cares for the local stray population, feeding an additional 400+ dogs twice daily. As one can imagine, Michael is constantly doling out head scratches, patting satisfied tummies, or on the receiving end of a slobbery kiss.
From the litter of puppies trapped in tar to the retired police dog chained to a crumbling wall and the gang of 44 differently-abled dogs who, in different circumstances, would have been euthanized, Michael saves more lives in a month than most of us will in a lifetime.
Day in and day out, he dedicates himself to these two-, three-, and four-legged friends.
But life didn’t always look this way. The Scottish native spent his early adulthood in Sweden as a successful chef. While he climbed Stockholm’s culinary ranks, he fell into a troubled relationship with drugs and alcohol.
His days were spent drunk in the kitchen, and nights were reserved for chasing highs, not for sleeping. In 2002, Michael moved to Thailand for a position managing a prominent community kitchen, eager to start a new chapter in his favorite vacation spot.
However, after he arrived, he received an ultimatum that would change his life and allow him to notice all the little creatures roaming the streets of his new home.
Michael began by feeding one dog outside his restaurant. Then, he started feeding the dogs along his commute. Soon enough, he brought dogs home and took others to the clinic for much-needed medical attention while running his restaurant. Eventually, Michael had to choose: feed people or feed dogs.
The dogs won, and TMTRD was born.
The canine population isn't the only community that calls this sanctuary home. TMTRD now employs 30 full-time local caretakers who, much like Michael, have found a second calling in working with dogs. The dog mom of the group is a woman who escaped an abusive relationship and found love again at the sanctuary.
Michael’s right-hand man is a retired bank robber, along with his two three-legged dogs. The young lady who drives TMTRD’s truck found the organization after a short stint in juvenile detention. It is a home of second chances, a place of refuge and purpose for all underdogs – regardless of their species.
Baines opens up about the raw and remarkable journey in his upcoming memoir “Home. Made.” Set to be released on August 26th, 2024, International Dog Day, the book is being produced by Witchcraft, a social impact publishing firm that works exclusively with nonprofits.
Seventy percent of the profit from book sales will be directly donated back to the dogs at TMTRD, providing a much-needed source of revenue that Baines hopes will make up for the downward trend in donations over the past few years.
The Man That Rescues Dogs’ book “Home. Made.” will be available to purchase online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Target, Walmart, and in libraries across the country. Visit heywitchcraft.com to find out more and to sign up for updates!
Photo Credit:
Maggie Menendez
TMTRD
