From an oil rig in the water, you may glimpse a whale or dolphin, but a stray dog? Not so much.
A Chevron crew saw it struggling in the Gulf of Thailand 135 kilometres from Songkhla.
Offshore planner Vitisak Payalaw saw a distressed brown fluffy pup. “I thought that if we didn’t move quickly, I wouldn’t be able to help him,” Payalaw told CNN.
As rescue operations proceeded, the water became rough. Several efforts to catch the dog failed.
The crew worried the dog would be washed out to sea, but he managed to stay on the platform. “His eyes were so sad,” Payalaw added. “He just kept looking up like he wanted to say, ‘please help me.’”
Finally, they used a rope harness to bring the dog to safety. He was fatigued and shaking by then.
After washing and feeding him, the team called him Boonrod, which means “he has done good karma and that helps him to survive,” Payalaw told NPR. Boonrod was a Philippine aspin. The Bangkok Post said he fell from a fishing boat into the seas so far offshore.
Two days later, Boonrod was transported by boat to the mainland for veterinary treatment and an animal refuge on April 15. “A vessel transporting the dog arrived onshore at around 10 a.m.,” Payalaw said on Facebook. His entire health has improved. His strength and grin are improving.
But the brave dog’s luck continued. Payalaw was so devoted to Boonrod that he pledged to adopt him if no one claimed ownership. Payalaw waited 10 days to see his new closest buddy since he was on duty. Since no owner had come forward, Boonrod was immediately adopted by Payalaw, much to their joy.
“I’m very very, happy with my new dog,” Payalaw told The Dodo. “He’s a good dog for me and my family.” Despite being single, Payalaw considers Boorod “like a son” to him.
The proverb says, “Dogs have a way of finding the people that need them.” Boonrod had more challenges than most dogs in meeting his soulmate, but he demonstrated that even an ocean couldn’t separate him from Payalaw.
