A grateful stray dog recognized and greeted a man who removed a fish hook from his mouth.

Footage shows the pooch approaching the rider from the roadside in Khon Kaen province on January 10.

Sopon Inphollek first saw the creature on January 2 when a sharp wire used to catch fish in the nearby river pierced through his mouth.

The good Samaritan passed by the road again a week later, and Sopon said he seemed to know him still.

He said: ‘He was wagging his tail and climbed on my lap so I gave him some snacks. He was a sweet dog.'

Footage from in the initial incident shows Sopon calmly luring the frightened dog over to him with a sausage. While the hungry pooch was eating the skewered meat, Sopon uses a pair of pliers to yank out the enormous hook used for catching carp.

Sopon said: ‘I felt so sorry for the dog. It was running all around and crying. I noticed something dangling from its mouth then realised it was a hook.

'The dog would have been struggling to eat because of the sharp metal stuck in its mouth.'

In the video, the dog can be seen trying to eat the meat but also while avoiding Sopon's hand, making it extra hard to remove the tackle.

After about five minutes, Sopon finally pulled the hook off the creature's mouth.

Relieved Sopon said: ‘I have often fished on this river. This shows why people should take care of their trash so it doesn't happen again.'