{{Short description|Dog owned by Rama IX of Thailand}} {{hatnote|Not to be confused with the "Thong Daeng Cat"; see Suphalak.}} right|thumb|Sculpture of ''Cao Cao'' (left) and '''''Tongdaeng''''' (right), King Bhumibol Adulyadej's favorites, at the royal crematorium of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2017. <!-- Deleted image removed: right|thumb|Tongdaeng (and her puppies) as featured on Thai postage stamps in 2006. --> '''Tongdaeng''' (also spelled '''Thong Daeng''', {{langx|th|ทองแดง}}, lit. "copper"; 7 November 1998 – 26 December 2015) was a female copper-colored mixed breed dog and one of the pets owned by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
==Life== The king adopted Tongdaeng in late 1998 from the litter of a stray dog that had been taken in by a medical center he had recently dedicated his name to. Tongdaeng was nursed by Mae Mali (lit. Mother Jasmine), a former stray who was adopted by the king before.<ref name=Mydans26Dec>*Seth Mydans, [http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/02/12/1bkk/26a.html For Dogged Devotion to Etiquette, a Kingly Tribute], International Herald Tribune, 26 December 2002. Accessed 30 December 2015.</ref>
King Bhumibol called her "a common dog who is uncommon", and in 2002 wrote an affectionate biography of her titled "''The Story of Tongdaeng'' (เรื่อง ทองแดง)". The 84-page book, published in both Thai and English, quickly sold out of its first edition of 100,000 in Thailand.<ref name=Mydans26Dec/> Since demand was so high, the book became an esteemed gift,<ref name=Campbell4Nov>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4068781/thailand-king-bhumibol/|title=See Portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Displayed All Over Bangkok|first=Charlie|last=Campbell|date=November 4, 2015|access-date=December 30, 2015|magazine=Time}}</ref> and was reprinted many times. It is also commonly referred to as a parable on many social topics.
In the book, the king wrote that "Tongdaeng is a respectful dog with proper manners; she is humble and knows 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.'"<ref name="The Econ dog">{{cite news|title=Dissing the king's dog is a crime in Thailand|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21684177-dissing-kings-dog-crime-thailand-who-are-you-calling-bitch|accessdate=21 December 2015|newspaper=The Economist|date=19 December 2015}}</ref>
A commemorative block of four postage stamps featuring Tongdaeng was issued by Thailand Post in 2006.<ref name=Ho29Dec>{{cite news|url=http://mashable.com/2015/12/29/royal-thai-dog-passes-away/#01nyaBB.DEqO|title=Royal Thai dog at center of defamation case passes away|work=Mashable|first=Victoria|last=Ho|date=December 29, 2015|accessdate=December 30, 2015}}</ref>
Tongdaeng died on 26 December 2015. A statue of her was created for the Royal Crematorium of King Bhumibol.
==Protection by ''lèse majesté'' law== {{main|Lèse majesté in Thailand}}
Thanakorn Siripaiboon, a 27-year-old factory worker,<ref name=Head16Dec/> was charged in 2015 with insulting the King through a "sarcastic" post about Tongdaeng on Facebook under the ''lèse majesté'' law in Thailand.<ref name="bhutia">{{cite web|last1=Bhutia|first1=Jigmey|title=Thai man faces 37 years jail for 'insulting' King Bhumibol Adulyadej through his dog|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/thai-man-could-be-jailed-37-years-insulting-king-bhumibol-adulyadejs-dog-1533382|website=ibtimes.co.uk|date=15 December 2015 |publisher=International Business Times|accessdate=16 December 2015}}</ref> His lawyer, Anon Nampa, informed the ''International New York Times'' that the charge "had not detailed the precise insult towards the animal".<ref name="holmes">{{cite news|last1=Holmes|first1=Oliver|title=Thai man faces jail for insulting king's dog with 'sarcastic' internet post|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/15/thai-man-faces-jail-insulting-kings-dog-sarcastic-internet-post|website=The Guardian|date=15 December 2015 |accessdate=15 December 2015}}</ref> The Bangkok-based printer of the ''International New York Times'' removed the story from the 14 December 2015 print edition of the paper, just 12 days before Tongdaeng's death.<ref name="holmes"/> He was released on bond after spending 90 days in prison. If convicted, Thanakorn could have faced up to a maximum of 37 years in prison.<ref name="The Econ dog" /> His current location and the status of his case are unknown as of June 2018.
According to the BBC, a prosecutor said Thanakorn had posted several photos of the dog on Facebook in a manner which appeared to mock the King, and in addition had been charged with posting the "like" button next to a doctored photo of the Thai monarch, which had been posted by another Facebook user.<ref name=Head16Dec>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35099322|title=Defaming a dog: The ways to get arrested for lese-majeste in Thailand|first=Jonathan|last=Head|date=December 16, 2015|accessdate=December 29, 2015|work=BBC}}</ref> The case was eventually dropped.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
==In media== A film based on Tongdaeng's biography, ''Khun Tongdaeng: The Inspirations'' (คุณทองแดงดิอินสไปเรชันส์), was released in November 2015.<ref name="panya">{{cite web|last1=Panya|first1=Duangkamol|title=Who let the dogs out?|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/779189/who-let-the-dogs-out|website=bangkokpost.com|publisher=Bangkok Post|accessdate=15 December 2015}}</ref>
==See also== * Fufu (dog) * List of individual dogs
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * Bhumibol Adulyadej. ''The Story of Tongdaeng''. Amarin, Bangkok. 2004. {{ISBN|974-272-917-4}}
{{Bhumibol Adulyadej}}
Category:1998 animal births Category:2015 animal deaths Category:Individual dogs Category:Lèse majesté in Thailand Category:Bhumibol Adulyadej Category:Pets of the Chakri dynasty Category:Individual animals in Thailand