220km from shore: Boonrod was rescued by an oil rig. Photo / WATCHDOG THAILAND
Rig workers far off the coast of Thailand were delighted by the miraculous appearance of a dog in the ocean.
However, time was running out to act and save the exhausted dog, mysteriously lost at sea.
Vitisak Payalaw, an offshore planner, told CNN that the brown dog was spotted paddling towards their deep-sea rig last Friday.
The Thai oil workers decided to name their stray dog "Boonrod" or "Survivor".
The puppy, who was found swimming near their rig, some 220 km away from mainland Thailand, had a natural survival instinct. Picking out the rig in a vast expanse of open ocean, he was also extremely lucky.
When he was found by the offshore workers, it seems the dog was rescued just in the nick of time. It must have been swimming for hours, and the puppy looked as if it wouldn't last much longer at sea.
"I thought that if we didn't move quickly, I would not be able to help him," said Payalaw.
"If he lost his grip, it would be very difficult to help him," Payalaw told CNN.
Lowering rope and poles down to the puppy, he describes how the determined dog continued to paddle silently beneath the rig.
"His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, 'please help me,'" said Paylaw.
Eventually the workers were able to hoist the dog out of the water.
The silence and puppy-dog eyes were not just as a sign of determination but of exhaustion.
Onboard, they fed the dog electrolytes and fresh water. He was shaking with fatigue.
"He looked extremely exhausted and ran out of energy. He didn't move much," the worker told CNN.
Boonrod is an Aspin, which is a breed of dog native to the Philippines, though popular in Thailand.
It's understood Boonrod fell from a fishing trawler, according to the Bangkok Post.
They returned him to the mainland on Monday, where Boonrod was taken into the care of the charity Watchdog Thailand.
The dog is currently recovering in a shelter in Thialand's Songkla province, according to the charity.
Once he's rebuilt his strength from a long ordeal at sea, it is expected Boonrod will be put up for adoption.
However, Payalaw said he's hoping to take in the dog, having developed a strong bond with the lucky pup.
Can you blame him?
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