Tongdaeng was born on November 7, 1998, and died on December 26, 2015.
She was a Thai dog owned by King.
She was a female copper-colored dog and one of the pets owned by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
Tongdaeng was adopted by in 1998 from the litter of a stray dog that had been taken by a medical center he had recently dedicated.
The name Tongdaeng translate as “copper” in Thai.
Bhumibol Adulyadej called her “A common dog who is uncommon,” and in 2002, he wrote an affectionate biography about her titled “The Story of Tongdaeng (เรื่อง ทองแดง)”.
The story in the book was commonly referred to as a parable on many social topics.
Within the pages of the book the King wrote that “Tongdaeng is a respectful dog with proper manners; she is humble and knows the protocol. She would always sit lower than the King; even when he pulls her up to embrace her, Tongdaeng would lower herself down on the floor, her ears in a respectful drooping position, as if she would say, ‘I don’t dare.’.
“Thong”, meaning. gold, was given to all the kings dogs.
The book was a success and sold out in Thailand, and was reprinted several times to keep up with demand.
The book became an esteemed gift.
There was also a film based on Tongdaeng’s biography, Khun Tongdaeng: The Inspirations (คุณทองแดงดิอินสไปเรชันส์).
It was released in November 2015.
Tongdaeng, the dog passed away at 17 yrs old.