Trang policeman praised for saving drowning puppy

The month-old puppy saved from drowning on a wet, dark night by Trang policeman Pol Snr Sgt Maj Boonlue Pirommuang. (Photo by Methee Muangkaew)

TRANG - A police patrol officer has won praise from online users after pictures of him saving a one-month-old puppy from drowning one dark night in Muang district were posted on Facebook and rapidly spread online.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Boonlue Pirommuang, of Muang police station, told the Bangkok Post on Tuesday he was on duty on the night of Jan 17 and received report around midnight there was a dog barking loudly and continually at Premsuk pond, along Phatthalung Road in the municipal area of Trang province.

(Photo from Trang's Muang police station Facebook page)

He and three other policemen went to the pond and at first they could hear the dog but not see it. He had a good look around and found a female dog pacing back and forth in an area beneath the concrete grandstand.

On closer inspection, he saw a small dog struggling in a pool of water beneath the stand. He immediately crawled underneath to have a closer look.

It was dark and wet as the rain had only just stopped, and he admitted he was afraid of being bitten by a snake or some other venomous creature. He overcame his fear by thinking of the drowning puppy, which he finally managed to rescue by entering through a small channel beneath the stand.

The female pup, about one month old, looked exhausted. Judging by reports of the noise, he suspected it had been in the water for 2-3 hours before it was rescued.

Pol Snr Sgt Maj Boonlue said he felt happy to have saved a life, even though it was just a puppy. Dogs, like human beings, also valued their lives, he added.

After images of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Boonlue helping the young dog were posted on Muang police Facebook page, many Facebook users praised his action and shared the story. As of Tuesday, the story had more than 2,000 shares.