By Susan Bird from Care2

Workers on an oil rig more than 135 miles off the coast of Thailand had the surprise of their lives when they discovered a tired dog swimming toward their platform.

They had no idea where the dog came from, but they could see he was desperately exhausted. And they knew they had to do something quickly to help.

When the dog got to the rig, he grasped a pipe and clung there, shivering and unable to move, ABC News reports. He didn’t bark or whine. He just hung on for dear life.

The workers weren’t sure what to do. They held out a pole hoping the dog might try to climb it, but he just couldn’t.

“His eyes were so sad. He just kept looking up just like he wanted to say, ‘Please help me,’” Vitisak Payalaw, an offshore planner for Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production,told CNN. “At that moment, whoever saw this, they would just have to help.”

The workers knew they had to work fast, or the dog might let go and be washed away into the Gulf of Thailand. The rig team spent 15 minutes fashioning a rope loop and tossed it over the dog.

“I thought that if we didn’t move quickly, I would not be able to help him,” Payalaw told CNN. “If he lost his grip, it would be very difficult to help him.”

The men lifted the dog onto the deck using the rope. They gave him a bath, offered him water and fed him.

“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.”

The workers decided to name the dog Boonrod, which means “survivor.” They created a kennel for him inside the oil rig platform to keep him safe and comfortable. And during the time he spent with them, Boonrod bonded with the whole crew.

Boonrod is an aspin, a breed that originated in the Philippines. It’s often a street dog there, but its temperament makes the aspin a perfect companion animal. Yes, as you might have guessed, Boonrod is indeed a very good boy.

After a couple of days on the rig, Boonrod was transported by boat to Thailand’s Songkhla province to receive veterinary care. He’s now safe in the hands of a rescue group called Watchdog Thailand.

How did a dog end up in the gulf over 100 miles from shore? The rig team thinks Boonrod possibly fell off a fishing trawler and swam until he found the oil rig.

If no one steps forward to claim Boonrod, Payalaw told CNN he would adopt the dog himself — a perfect happy ending. Good luck, Boonrod. You truly are a survivor.

Image credit: Kanoke_46/Getty Images

For more on this story go to: https://www.care2.com/causes/oil-rig-workers-save-desperate-dog-swimming-alone-in-gulf-of-thailand.html