Frida, the Thai dog being rescued by friends Lisa Chong and Tara Austin in Thailand on December 6, 2018l. The pair traveled to Thailand to volunteer at a nature park that cares for rescued dogs, cats and elephants. After dinner one night, they found a partially paralyzed dog pulling itself along a busy street. They took the dog to a vet. Now Lisa is flying back to Thailand to escort the dog, Frida, to the United States. It will undergo therapy in Los Angeles for a while before they can bring her to Huntington Beach. (Photo by Photo Courtesy of Tara Austin)
Huntington Beach resident Dr. Lisa Chong, MD, owner, kisses Frida, a partially paralyzed dog, a rescue from Chiang Mai, Thailand, during its first therapy session at Two Hands Four Paws Canine Physical Rehabilitation in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Contributing Photographer)
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The damaged paws of Frida, the Thai dog being rescued by friends Lisa Chong and Tara Austin in Thailand on December 6, 2018l. The pair traveled to Thailand to volunteer at a nature park that cares for rescued dogs, cats and elephants. After dinner one night, they found a partially paralyzed dog pulling itself along a busy street. They took the dog to a vet. Now Lisa is flying back to Thailand to escort the dog, Frida, to the United States. It will undergo therapy in Los Angeles for a while before they can bring her to Huntington Beach. (Photo Courtesy of Tara Austin)
Huntington Beach resident Dr. Lisa Chong, MD, center, listens to Dr. Frank Tsai, DVM, left, during Frida’s first therapy session at Two Hands Four Paws Canine Physical Rehabilitation in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Contributing Photographer)
Damaged paws are partially healed on Frida, the Thai dog being rescued by friends Lisa Chong and Tara Austin in Thailand on December 6, 2018l. The pair traveled to Thailand to volunteer at a nature park that cares for rescued dogs, cats and elephants. After dinner one night, they found a partially paralyzed dog pulling itself along a busy street. They took the dog to a vet. Now Lisa is flying back to Thailand to escort the dog, Frida, to the United States. It will undergo therapy in Los Angeles for a while before they can bring her to Huntington Beach. (Photo Courtesy of Tara Austin)
Dr. Frank Tsai, DVM, right, examines Frida, a partially paralyzed dog, a rescue from Chiang Mai, Thailand, at Two Hands Four Paws Canine Physical Rehabilitation in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Contributing Photographer)
Frida, the Thai dog being rescued by friends Lisa Chong and Tara Austin in Thailand on December 6, 2018l. The pair traveled to Thailand to volunteer at a nature park that cares for rescued dogs, cats and elephants. After dinner one night, they found a partially paralyzed dog pulling itself along a busy street. They took the dog to a vet. Now Lisa is flying back to Thailand to escort the dog, Frida, to the United States. It will undergo therapy in Los Angeles for a while before they can bring her to Huntington Beach. (Photo by Photo Courtesy of Tara Austin)
Frida, a partially paralyzed dog, a rescue from Chiang Mai, Thailand, undergo its first therapy session at Two Hands Four Paws Canine Physical Rehabilitation in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach resident Dr. Lisa Chong, MD, owner, pets Frida, a partially paralyzed dog, a rescue from Chiang Mai, Thailand, during its first therapy session at Two Hands Four Paws Canine Physical Rehabilitation in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Contributing Photographer)
Frida, right, a partially paralyzed dog, a rescue from Chiang Mai, Thailand, meets Max, a 3 year old toy poodle, during its first therapy session at Two Hands Four Paws Canine Physical Rehabilitation in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Contributing Photographer)
After volunteering at Elephant Nature Park sanctuary in Thailand, childhood friends Lisa Chong and Tara Austin made a stop in the nearby village of Chang Mai. While strolling after dinner, they spotted a dog pulling itself along the street with its front legs.
Their hearts melted.
“We went over to her and said, ‘Are you OK, buddy?’ She rolled over for a belly rub,” said Chong, 45, an Ob-Gyn in Huntington Beach.
Chong and Austin scooped the dog up and took her to their hotel room, where they discovered that her back paws – which she had been dragging behind her – were worn raw to the bone. The next day, they brought her to a veterinary hospital.
Austin named the dog Frida, after Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who was disabled by polio as a child. “They are both fighters and inspirations,” she said.
Together, the buddies embarked on a rescue mission, with Chong and her boyfriend eventually returning to Thailand to bring Frida back with them to California.
For the next few weeks, the dog will undergo therapy at Two Hands Four Paws, an animal rehabilitation center in Los Angeles.
“It’s like we have a baby together,” said Austin, a Los Angeles interior designer.
The effort so far has cost well over $10,000.
The 40-pound Thai Bangkaew is probably about a year old. She has a long road ahead, said Leslie Gallagher, a veterinary technician who founded Two Hands Four Paws 20 years ago.
Frida suffered a spinal injury that left her partially paralyzed, Gallagher said: “She has some very challenging issues. She is missing bones in her feet, so our first priority is wound treatment. Until her wounds heal, we can’t do much physical therapy.”
Meanwhile, Chong and Austin – who make frequent visits to the rehabilitation center – are determined to see Frida’s recovery through. When that day comes, Frida will live at Chong’s house.
Frida always welcomes her guardian angels with a wagging tail and licks.
“We don’t care how long it takes,” Chong said. “We just want her to get healthy.”
