Seafaring dog Boonrod is heading to a new life in Khon Kaen with his new owner -- one of the oil rig workers who rescued him from the ocean in a story that captured international attention.
"We're leaving," owner Vitisak Payalaw posted in a message on the Boonrod Facebook page on Saturday evening.
Vitisak Payalaw (right) and Siraphan Ngampromwong of Watchdog Thailand pose for a photo with Boonrod at the Smile Dog House in Hat Yai district of Songkhla on Saturday. (Photo from Boonrod Facebook account)
Mr Vitisak, an offshore planner of Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, met Boonrod -- "survivor" in Thai -- on Saturday for the first time since the team found him clinging to an oil platform in the Gulf of Thailand about 220km from the shore in Songkhla on April 12.
How Boonrod got there remains a mystery, but it is believed that he must have fallen off a trawler. After helping rescue the deepwater doggie, Mr Vitisak offered to be his new owner.
The exhausted animal was brought ashore on April 15 and lodged at Dog Smile House, a shelter in Hat Yai district of the southern province, with financial support from the US oil firm and Watchdog Thailand, a non-profit group.
Boonrod appeared delighted to see Mr Vitisak and the other members of the oil rig team who rescued him.
Mr Vitisak said he was taking annual leave from his work at the oil platform to transport the dog to his home in Khon Kaen, almost 1,500km from Hat Yai. The house in the northeastern province has been prepared to accomodate a new resident, the Chevron employee added.
Boonrod was rescued over 200km from the Songkhla shore on April 12. (Reuters video)
Mr Vitisak asked for privacy and requested that well-wishers not visit his new pet at his parents' home in Khon Kaen. But fans are welcome to greet Boonrod when he walks the dog, he added.
He also encouraged other animal lovers to adopt pets if they can.
The story of Boonrod was carried by global news agencies, including CNN. He can be followed on his Facebook page.