Dog Saved After Being Spotted Swimming 135 Miles Off The Coast

Swimming Dog
Vitisak Payalaw
Vitisak Payalaw

In mid-April 2019, workers on an oil rig 135 miles off the coast of Thailand couldn't believe their eyes when they saw a dog in the water. The animal made its way to the rig as the workers frantically tried to figure out a way to get it out of the water.

Vitisak Payalaw, an offshore planner on the rig, says he and three other crew members spent 15 minutes trying wrap a rope around the dog to pull him up. It was a race against time as the ocean was becoming more violent.

Once they successfully pulled the dog onto the rig, it was clear that the animal was exhausted and most likely in shock. The workers immediately provided the dog with water and meat while others simultaneously set up a kennel for him inside.

Nobody knew how the dog could have ended up so far away from the shore, though The Bangkok Post claims that it probably had "fallen from a fishing trawler." The crew named the pup Boonrod, which Payalaw explains means "He has done good karma and that helps him to survive."

Although it didn't happen overnight, in the following days, Boonrod appeared to be getting stronger with every meal it ate and nap it took. It also helped that it was getting showered with love and attention from the whole crew.

The dog was later taken back to the land where it received veterinary care from the rescue group Watchdog Thailand. Today, Boonrod has been declared in good health, but its luck doesn't stop there. Although Payalaw will be working on the rig until the end of April, he has made arrangements to adopt the pup when he returns to shore.