Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej was a serial dog adopter, and even wrote a book about his close companion Tongdaeng
With the death of the world's longest serving monarch, the world has also lost a staunch crusade for the adoption of stray, handicapped and abandoned animals. Queen Elizabeth II of England has her Corgis, but King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand had Tongdaeng. He wrote a book about his adopted stray, put her on national postal stamps and even produced an animated film to commemorate him.
Over the years, King Bhumibol had adopted many handicapped, stray and abandoned animals. Well known for his concern of animal welfare, he wrote a best-selling book of his beloved adopted street dog, Tongdaeng, proceeds of which helped to fund several royal animal welfare projects.
In 1998, a stray Bangkok dog was taken in by a medical centre in Bangkok and had a litter of puppies. After the king visited the medical centre, he adopted a dog from the litter. She was named 'Tongdaeng' ('Copper'), and became a favorite of the Thai monarch. Tongdaeng was praised by the king for her loyalty, manners and intelligence and he once said, 'Tongdaeng is a common dog who is uncommon'.
Such is Tongdaeng's fame and fan following that when the king left hospital after a minor operation in 2002, he wore a t-shirt with the image of Tongdaeng and her puppies. This sparked a fashion craze in Thailand with the public buying up Tongdaeng T-shirts. Similar scenes followed when the Thai king published his book, 'The Story of Tongdaeng'.
Apparently, the fact that His Majesty adopted a humble stray puppy as the royal pet dog touched the hearts of the general public. This was followed up with an animated version of the book in 2004. A commemorative block of four postage stamps featuring Tongdaeng was issued by Thailand Post in 2006.
"Most adopted stray dogs are usually humble and exceptionally faithful to their owners, as if they are grateful for the kindness they receive. Moreover, they are not inferior to imported dogs in intelligence. Some are attractive or have a distinctive smart look, like Tongdaeng," he wrote.
The King added that if the authorities helped, more people would be willing to adopt the numerous stray dogs. Tongdaeng passed away peacefully in Dec 2015, at the elderly age of 17. An animated film was released to commemorate her, entitled "Khun Tongdaeng: The Inspiration", adapting from the King's book.
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