Dog found swimming 135 miles offshore in Gulf of Thailand, rescued by oil rig workers

GULF OF THAILAND — Animal rescue took a bit of a different meaning for workers on an oil rig in the Gulf of Thailand.

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Workers were quite surprised Friday when they noticed an unusual sight in the water: a dog swimming toward the platform.

They threw a rope down and managed to snag the exhausted animal, then hauled him aboard.

Rig worker Vitisak Payalaw documented the rescue and posted pictures to social media.

He said it was the calm seas that allowed workers to spot the dog, saying that if there had been waves, they wouldn’t have noticed him.

Payalaw said the canine was covered in salt but seemed otherwise fine.

Workers speculated the dog, which they named Boon Rod or Survivor, probably fell off a fishing boat and that it was a miracle he even survived.

They contacted a Thailand animal rescue organization, which sent a boat out Monday to pick Survivor up and take him ashore for a medical assessment and eventual adoption.

Payalaw said if the dog was still with the group when he returns to shore from the oil rig, he intends to adopt him.

Cox Media Group