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Oil rig workers were working off the coast of Thailand when they noticed something unexpected bobbing in the choppy water below – a dog paddling in the water, 135 miles from shore!
Vitisak Payalaw and his crew were working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Thailand when they spotted a dog paddling toward them, exhausted and shivering, with no idea how he ended up 135 miles offshore.
Crew acted quickly, knowing that the dog would not survive the choppy waters much longer. They eventually used a rope to bring the dog onto the rig. “His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, ‘please help me,'” Payalaw told CNN.
Once pulled to safety, oil rig workers rinsed him off, gave him water, electrolyte drink, and food. Then, they chose a perfect name for him: Boonrod, which loosely translates to “he has done good karma and that helps him to survive.”
“He looked extremely exhausted and ran out of energy. He didn’t move much,” Payalaw told CNN. “He was shaking and he couldn’t stand, he had to sit all the time.”
It remains a mystery how Boonrod ended up in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, but workers suspect he fell from another vessel and was lucky enough to ultimately end up near the oil rig and the lifesaving workers onboard.
Boonrod spent the weekend on the oil rig, being cared for, pampered, and loved by crew until Monday when he was transported back to land and seen by a veterinarian who said he was in surprisingly good health for what he’d endured.
According to the animal rights group Watchdog Thailand, when Boonrod returned to dry land, workers draped marigolds around his neck, a symbol of welcome and good fortune.
Boonrod will be sheltered with Watchdog Thailand and, if no owner steps forward to claim him, Payalaw hopes to give him a permanent home himself.
