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Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

My anxious ball of fluff

When Aria found Lottie, she had been abandoned with her brother Scar on the side of the road. The most pitiful pair you’ve ever seen, the two were completely defeated and hairless. Despite their obvious apprehension, they were easily won over by food and quickly took to life in a home. Their hair, along with their spirits, began to grow and I began to fall in love with them. The rest is history.

As you would probably imagine, life on Saipan runs at a much slower pace than the rest of the world. There are less cars, less emphasis on punctuality (island time is such a real thing) and less people. We follow a very simple and quiet routine with very few surprises and lots of completely unleashed freedom (literally). Moving from Saipan to D.C. was quite the change for all of us but some of us are adjusting better than others.

Lottie’s anxiety is nothing new but coping with it on the island versus in the big city are two completely different things. Much to our surprise, Lottie did extremely well when we first arrived but we quickly started to notice a regression in her behavior. Despite endless walks, exposure to new things and people, and practice being brave, her anxiety got worse instead of better.

I haven’t shared much about Lottie’s anxiety until now because I have always felt that as the head of a rescue, I should have perfectly well behaved dogs. Additionally, there is such a stigma in regards to rescue dogs having behavioral issues. Behavioral issues are not a rescue dog thing, they are a dog thing, which even the most well intending and involved owners can struggle with.

This week, Lottie had her first vet appointment to discuss getting on anxiety medication and courses of training we should look into to support her journey. It’s important to note that medication must be paired with training as it is a tool, not a quick fix. We are currently waiting for her blood, urine, and stool sample (TMI, sorry) results before starting her on medication but we are so excited to help Lottie find more joy in her new world.

P.S. in addition to making your pets’ mental and physical wellbeing a priority, don’t forget to prioritize your own too.

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Boonie of the Week

(she loves rubbing on the couch and purring). She, however, is not a fan of squirrels or rats and believes they are the anti-Christ. Billy's favorite toy at the moment is a giant monkey from GoDog, and she has been rocking her Carhartt jacket as the season gets chillier. She is her owner's entire world and most definitely, the cutest member of the house.

Billy is one of very few lucky Boonies who made it off island and into a home. After having her for about a year with zero adoption interest, Aria and I began the heartbreaking discussion of possibly having to euthanize. Lucky for this rambunctious pup, I had taken a special interest in her along with our Canadian volunteer, Tara. Euthanizing a dog for space is never easy but I knew that I had to save this one so, I got to work making it happen.

Due to the flight path and international transport laws (cabotage), flying dogs to Canada is easier than the U.S. mainland. I sent a text to Tara asking if she would be willing to foster Billy to which she off course said yes. I then reached out to my Canadian friends Payton and Thomas asking if they knew anyone who may be interested in adopting. Unfortunately for them, Billy’s sweet face got to them too. Unable to adopt do to their two rescue cats, Fin and Nemo, Payton and Thomas instead donated to help cover the cost of flying Billy to Canada.

To Tara, Trent, Payton, Thomas, Hayley, and everyone in between who made saving Billy’s life possible, thank you. As our dogs don’t often see happy endings, stories like this are what keep us going. To Little Bill, we love and miss you dearly, stay weird.

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