Dog rescued from ruff seas 220km off Thai coast to be adopted by rescuer

An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life, after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch.

The tan-coloured dog, named Boonrod by his rescuers – Thai for “survivor from karma” – was fished from the ocean on Friday by rig workers who spotted his head bobbing between the waves in the Gulf of Thailand.

This handout from Watchdog Thailand taken on April 15, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog on the way to getting checked by a veterinarian in Songkhla after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. – An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch. (Photo by Handout / WATCHDOG THAILAND / AFP)

There was no indication of how he got there, or how long he had been lost at sea.

But local media speculated he may have fallen off a fishing vessel and paddled towards the rig.

Boonrod is recovering in Songkhla province under the care of a vet, an animal charity group told AFP on Tuesday.

“Since he came onto the platform, he didn’t cry or bark at all,” Chevron worker Vitisak Payalaw said in a Facebook post chronicling the dog’s rescue.

This handout from Vitisak Payalaw taken on April 12, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. – An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch. (Photo by Handout / VITISAK PAYALAW / AFP)

“He likely lost a lot of body water from the sea water.”

Vitisak told AFP in a message Tuesday he plans to adopt the now-famous canine once he returns to shore at the end of the month.

Boonrod stayed on the rig for two nights before another vessel picked the pooch up on its way back to shore, arriving at a port in Songkhla province on Monday morning.

In a video posted by animal rights group Watchdog Thailand, Boonrod was welcomed on the shore with a lei of yellow flowers and lots of neck scratches from port workers.

This handout from Watchdog Thailand taken on April 15, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog on the way to getting checked by a veterinarian in Songkhla after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. (Photo by Handout / WATCHDOG THAILAND / AFP) /

“Thank you for seeing the value of a little life that floats so far,” said Facebooker Wanna Wongvorakul.

Boonrod was placed in the care of local charity group Smile Dog House.

“So far his health is ok… it’s only skin problems that he’s suffering from now,” a Smile Dog House staff told AFP.

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