Missing Royal Dog Found by Massive Search Operation

Police officers play with Khun Hom Nuan after she is found on Doi Suthep on June 21, 2020.
Police officers play with Khun Hom Nuan after she is found on Doi Suthep on June 21, 2020.

CHIANG MAI — A city-wide search-and-rescue operation involving security officers scouring the mountain trail and sifting through hours of CCTV footage came to an end on Sunday after locating their prized target: a royal pet dog. 

Khun Hom Nuan, a Thai breed dog of Her Royal Highness Princess Siribhachudabhorn, was found less than 24 hours after she went missing at midnight Sunday. The princess, who is a niece of King Vajiralongkorn, thanked the rescuers personally on her Facebook page for their effort. 

“I sincerely appreciate everyone who helps find Hom Nuan,” Princess Siribhachudabhorn said with a waii in the video posted online. “If there is anything I can do to compensate for the help, please message me on the page. I didn’t think that I would get her back. I felt bad and feared that I would lose her.”

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Hom Nuan disappeared after she slipped through a fence from a K-9 training center inside an air force base in Chiang Mai city. Her Royal Highness soon wrote about the disappearance on her Facebook and pleaded for help. The post was widely shared by netizens. 

The authorities were immediately mobilized for the mission. Investigators from Phuping Rajanivej Police Station and airmen began the search. Some checked footage from the security cameras footage along the possible escape routes around the air base, while others were sent to search the mountain for the dog.

Security officers also went out with photos of Khun Hom Nuan, asking local residents whether they had seen it.

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In the end, it was a lottery vendor and a tour guide at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep atop of the mountain who recognized the royal dog. Investigators arrived and found her at a scenic viewpoint inside the temple at around 7pm, according to police reports.

The princess is the eldest daughter of His Majesty the King’s younger sister, Princess Chulabhorn. She is part of the Thai royal family whose fondness for dogs is well documented by the state media.

His Majesty the King himself has a pet dog called Khun Fungfung. He is also involved in several charities for Thai dogs, like his adoption of a group of stray dogs in August 2019.