Dog's best friend: 'sick as a dog' takes on a new meaning in Thailand, where the king has opened a hydrotherapy pool for ailing pooches

Pool & Spa News, Dec 12, 2005 by Linda G. Green

Thailand is going to the dogs ... but in a good way. With the help of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a hydrotherapy pool for canines was opened in May at Kasetsart University's Animal Hospital in Bangkok.

It seems the 78-year-old king of Thailand has a soft spot in his heart for dogs. At last count, he and Queen Sirikit had 40 of them. (No word on what their four adult children think of the large royal pack.)

But one pooch in particular captured the monarch's affections. Back in 1998, King Adulyadej adopted a puppy from a litter of strays that had been taken in by a medical center he had recently dedicated. As the story goes, the 5-week-old puppy, a Basenji mix, didn't like being separated from her mother and cried all the way to the palace despite everyone's efforts to calm her down. However, when she encountered the king, she stopped crying, crawled into his lap and fell asleep. Taking note of the dog's copper-colored fur, he named her Tongdaeng, which means "copper" in Thai.

The new hydrotherapy pool has been named Suvarnachad (which also means copper) in honor of the royal top dog. It was modeled after another pool for pet dogs at the king's summer residence in Hua Hin.

"The pool will serve for the physical rehabilitation of dogs suffering from arthritis and neurological diseases," University President Viroj Impitak said in The Nation newspaper.

The vessel measures 2.4-by-3.8-meters, sports four jets and a pulley system, and can hold two canines. The facility also includes a regular pool for healthy dogs. Both vessels are 1.5 meters deep.

Soon the hydrotherapy pool will be open to the public, according to Noppakrit Chanthik, a veterinarian at the university. For a nominal fee, citizens will be able to bring their sick pets in for 30-minute sessions, says Chanthik, who also provides care to the king's dogs. The pool will be under the supervision of a veterinarian and two staff trainers.

While it's not surprising that King Adulyadej donated $53,000 toward construction of the pool, the way he raised the money is a little unusual. The funds came from the sale of shirts designed by his majesty, which bear the image of Tongdaeng.

The king, who was coronated in 1950, also used the dog as the inspiration to write The Story of Tongdaeng. Meant to be more than just a fun read, the book promotes attributes such as loyalty and humility to the populace. The first printing of 100,000 in 2002 sold out within hours. Proceeds from book sales went toward building the hydrotherapy pool and other royal projects.

What's next for this imaginative monarch? It's difficult to predict, but we're betting the king will pursue the project with his typical dogged determination.