Missing: Chiang Mai U’s own very good boy ‘Tia’

Many faces of Tia. Photos: Tia CMU / Facebook
Many faces of Tia. Photos: Tia CMU / Facebook

Update: Sadly, Tia’s fan page announced Thursday evening that he has indeed gone on to the great 7-Eleven in the sky. “I want to inform you all that brother Tia has traveled to the dog star. Confirmed by microchip,” the page admin wrote just after 6pm.

With a squat, sausagey body that marks him as a definitive example of canis streetdoggis, Tia (“Shorty”) may not look like much. But try telling that to his 160,000 online followers, who are frantically searching for the beloved pooch and unofficial university mascot.

Tia hasn’t been seen at Chiang Mai University for at least three days, leading to a campaign to find the wayward pup via his official fan page, where a reward of THB10,000 (US$300) has been offered for his safe return.

“Tia, come home! People all around the country are relentlessly searching for you,” Facebooker Honglada Yadaiizz Hangseepong wrote Wednesday. “If you don’t come back now, I will hire a bunch of golden boy ghosts to track you down. So come back now, doggo!”

Update: Foul play suspected in death of beloved campus dog ‘Tia’

Others have updated the page with their own progress.

“I had prepared some food and water before I motorbiked around several sois in the Wat Umong, Wat Padang, Wat Rumpeng and also Doi Suthep area starting at 11am. I will take a short break before I continue my search for Tia again at 4 pm. #Tiaweworryaboutyou,” Noang Paveena wrote.

The person behind the page said today that the last time Tia was seen was at 4pm on Monday.

“Tia is usually found in the evenings at random spots within the main campus,” fan page admin Waraphon Insom told Coconuts Bangkok. “Currently I have been training him every day during the evening hours, but I couldn’t find him on May 4th, no matter how hard I tried.”

Waraphon said Tia first appeared on campus in 2014 when he was about 2. Tia was soon joining students on trips, and his fame was elevated after a few such outings went viral, like when Tia ascended Doi Suthep during a traditional freshmen outing to the top of the famed mountain.

Tia makes the rounds during a trip to Doi Suthep in this September 2019 fan video.

Just this morning, the page reported a possible Tia sighting at Wat Pa Daeng, where someone said he was being chased by less friendly, local dogs. However, Waraphon said that might have been a false alarm as there’s (unsurprisingly) a dog that looks a lot like Tia near the temple.

“He has short legs so maybe he’s taking baby steps on the way back right now. Wish him safe trip to CMU,” another user, Jirada Changsee, said.

Anyone with information about Tia’s whereabouts is encouraged to call 086-921-2936 or 094-617-6617.

His collar identifies him as ‘Tia CMU.’ Photo: Tia CMU / Facebook
His collar identifies him as ‘Tia CMU.’ Photo: Tia CMU / Facebook
People at CMU sometimes drive the good boy around the campus. Photo: Tia CMU / Facebook
People at CMU sometimes drive the good boy around the campus. Photo: Tia CMU / Facebook
Tia chills with one of the fanciest summer collar choices. Photo: Tia CMU / Facebook
Tia chills with one of the fanciest summer collar choices. Photo: Tia CMU / Facebook

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