In partnership with

Boonie Tails

By Grace & Aria Keilbach

A week at Boonie Headquarters

Rescue work is often seen as simply pulling dogs off the streets and finding them homes, but it’s so much more than that. At its heart, true rescue is about commitment, not just to the dogs we take in, but to the families, the community, and the long-term success of every placement. It’s about making sure that once a dog finds a home, whether they’re from our rescue or not, they can stay there safely and securely. Even further, if that’s not possible, ensuring they never end up back on the streets.

This week at Boonie Babies headquarters was a big reminder of that!

• Supporting successful adoptions: This week, started with an adoption! Now named Aries, this sweet bully mix is absolutely thriving with her family. But, just last week she was rotting in a kennel at the mayors shelter. I saw her on one of my weekly walkthroughs to give shelter dogs some love before euthanasia day and immediately knew there was a home out there somewhere for her. Bully mixes are a commodity here on Saipan, backyard bred to be status symbols for others. Fortunately for her, that meant an easy path to an adoption, but unfortunately I guessed that only those wanting her for breeding would be interested. So I made the decision to post her on our page, offering to cover adoption fees and her spay costs for home that’d love her for her. Almost immediately, a familiar face responded, the family that adopted Tora from us (you may recognize the name from a past Boonie of the Week)! Tora was their first dog and completely won them over to the rescue life, they wanted to welcome this bully pup with open arms as well! The only hesitation, this dog wasn’t ours, we had no idea if she was dog safe, kid safe, temperamentally stable, etc. So I pulled her from the shelter—not to keep her ourselves, but to temperament test her and see if she’d be a match for this family. And although she ate up a bit of our resources (literally in dog food haha) and held a crucial space at my home, this was a successful adoption that would not have happened otherwise. We were able to make sure a family safe dog went to a safe home and won’t be contributing to the overpopulation crisis!

• Helping dogs stay with their families: A family in the middle of moving reached out for help catching their dogs and transporting them safely to their new property. Their elderly owner was absolutely devastated at the thought of leaving them behind but didn’t have the tools to catch and load them up. Even though these dogs weren’t ours, we stepped in because keeping dogs with their people is just as important as rescuing new ones. Brownie and Mochi are on their way to their new home with an owner, absolutely overjoyed to have her boonies safe and sound with her.

• Taking responsibility when things change: another move this week uprooted one of our own boonies. Adopted previously this year, Simba, unfortunately needed to come back to us this week. Despite being greatly loved by his adopters, new housing restrictions forced Simba’s owners to make the very difficult choice to return their boonie. While it’s never easy, our commitment to our dogs doesn’t end with adoption. We’ll take him back, keep him safe, and be forever grateful his family chose to bring him back to us instead of dumping him back on the streets.

The Bigger Picture

Rescue isn’t just about numbers or how many dogs we can pull in a week. It’s about creating stability for dogs and their families, whether that means stepping in to prevent a surrender, covering medical needs to make adoption possible, or welcoming a dog back when life circumstances change.

Every dog matters, whether they’re “ours” or not. By going beyond the traditional idea of rescue, we’re building a stronger safety net, not just for our dogs, but for the community as a whole.

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

Boonie of the Week

My daughter Tara and her boyfriend Trent were volunteering with Boonie Babies at the time. In the midst of demanding rescue work, they took Gremi into their little pack and somehow nurse her back to health — a small miracle.

When she arrived here, she was afraid of her own shadow. Those early months felt like a dance of progress and setbacks. Once, spooked in a busy part of town, she bolted — yet with unexpected bravery and smarts, she found her way home nearly a mile away.

Despite her fears, this little girl has a spark that cannot be denied. Tara calls her our “muppet toddler” — with ear floofies, crazy toe fur, a flouncy tail, and a Disney-like bounce when she’s happy. She keeps us laughing with her dramatic streak and dorky awkwardness, and at heart, she’s a cuddle bug and a loyal friend to Isaac, our mostly blind senior Chihuahua.

These days, her accomplishments keep growing: joining us on RV trips, surprising us with her love of swimming and kayaking, bravely giving nose work a try, and even keeping me company on the golf course, where she “helps” line up my putts.

From cardboard box to travel buddy, she’s come so far — teaching us resilience, joy, and unconditional love. She has become my heart dog in ways that still surprise me. Watching her try so hard to be her bravest self fills my days with joy and gratitude — she has given me as much healing as I have ever given her.

I will be forever grateful to Aria and Grace of Boonie Babies for giving Gremi, and so many others, the gift of a new beginning.

We are so grateful to Tara, Trent, and their family for unofficially starting a Boonie contingency in Canada.

Boonie Tails is free to read. But if you liked this post, support Boonie Babies and this newsletter by pledging a monthly or annual donation. Thank you for reading and we’ll see you next week!