A female runner in Thailand completes a marathon with a puppy that she picked up along the way. Ms Khemjira Klongsanun, 43, spotted the puppy by the road where she was 12km into her run at the Chombueng marathon in western Thailand on 20 January.
While other athletes are dodging the little pup during the marathon race in Ratchaburi, Khemjira decided to stop and check on the trembling little Thai bangkaew breed dog, gently coaxing it over to her. With no houses or crowds nearby, she concluded that the puppy might have been lost or abandoned and feared he would struggle to survive in the wilderness.
She decided to carry it along over the next 30km of her race and even crossed the finish line holding the dog. Khemjira said:
Running almost 20 miles carrying dog was truly a challenge. It was two times tiring than a normal marathon but I did it anyway just because he is adorable.
Khemjira tried to find the owner of the puppy when she crossed the finish line but without success. She took him home and appealed again to the owner to come forward, but has not had any contact.
The shop owner has now adopted the dog, believed to be just a couple of months old, and named him Chombueng after the name of the marathon.
It took a lot of time to take the new dog for checkups, vaccinations, and treatments but I’m glad to save him and willing to have him with other dog members in the family. It might take a while for him to adapt himself. But Chombueng is a very smart boy. I’m sure he is going to be happy living with us.
What would you do if you saw a lost animal during your run?
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