Thai oil rig workers rescue dog found 220 kilometers offshore

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, Agence France-Presse reported.

Vitisak Payalaw, a worker on the rig belonging to Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, said on his Facebook page that rig workers saw the dog swimming toward the platform on Friday. He said they were lucky to spot it because if there had been waves, the dog probably would not have been visible, The Associated Press reported.

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 toward the rig.

Now named Boonrod, the dog is recovering in Songkhla province under the care of a vet, an animal charity group told AFP on Tuesday.

"Since he came onto the platform, he didn't cry or bark at all," Vitisak wrote.

"He likely lost a lot of body water from the seawater."

The dog made it to the platform, clinging to the support structure below deck without barking or whimpering, Vitisak wrote.

The dog stayed on the rig for two nights before another vessel picked the pooch up on its way back to shore, arriving at a port in Songkhla province on Monday morning.

In a video posted by animal rights group Watchdog Thailand, the dog was welcomed on the shore with a garland 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.

The dog 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 told AFP.

Vitisak told AFP in a message on Tuesday he plans to adopt the now-famous canine once he returns to shore at the end of the month.