Dog pulled from seas off Thai coast to be adopted by rescuer

BANGKOK - AFP

An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometers 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-colored dog, named Boonrod by his rescuers -- Thai for "survivor from karma" -- was fished from the ocean on April 12 by rig workers who spotted his head bobbing between the waves in the Gulf of Thailand. 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 said April 16.

"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. 

"He likely lost a lot of body water from the sea water."          Vitisak said he plans to adopt the now-famous canine once he returns to shore at the end of the month.

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. 

"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 said.