- Boonie Tails
- Posts
- Her Name Was Lola
Her Name Was Lola
Hear from a former volunteer about the boonie who stole her heart
Boonie Babies Saipan
November 08, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
This week, hear from Emily Chmela, our volunteer from earlier this year.
Boonie Tails
By Emily Chmela
Her Name Was Lola: A Volunteer’s Story
If you’re thinking about bringing a boonie into your life, do it. It’s the most rewarding decision you can make. I was lucky enough to move out to Saipan and volunteer for Boonie Babies for the first half of 2024. I fell in love with my very own boonie, Lola. It was my second day on Saipan when we picked her up from the animal control kennels. She was in rough shape: patchy fur, shaking, nervous as can be, and had her tiny puppy making himself as small as possible behind her.
I truly had no intention of adopting a dog on this journey. While I wanted one desperately, I’m in my 20s, I love traveling and being spontaneous, and I didn’t want anything holding me back from that. I always told myself it would take a really special connection for me to change my mind. When you know, you know. And that’s exactly what happened—with Lola, I just knew.
Lola and Emily at the beach on Saipan. Lola is one of those uniquely “squishy” boonies—as we call them for their round, squishy faces—that we just can’t resist.
Through no fault of their own, Lola’s original owners were forced to surrender her when they had to leave the island for life-saving surgery. If you’re familiar with this newsletter, you may have read previously about how difficult (or impossible, in some cases) it is to get dogs off of Saipan. United Airlines, the only domestic airline that flies from Saipan to the mainland, has cut off Saipan’s community from extremely essential pet transportation services. Other options are upwards of $3,000. If Lola didn’t choose me, she would have been euthanized.
A carful of well-behaved, smiling boonies (and a couple of lucky lapdogs) enjoying the shade with Emily.
Boonie of the Week
 Lola spending her first autumn stateside. | Meet Lola!Everyone who meets Lola immediately falls in love with her. She constantly has people throwing compliments her way, usually followed by, “Where can I get a boonie of my own?” She’s very unique looking—most people, including myself, have never seen a dog that looks quite like her. It’s incredible to watch her thrive in this world despite her traumatic past. This journey has been nothing but wholesome, and I’m so grateful to Boonie Babies and everyone I met along the way. |
I gained so many core memories and learned so much from my volunteer experience with Boonie Babies. I’m so inspired by Grace and Aria—they have such an incredible desire to educate and help the community in any way they can. They are true animal lovers, and I loved every minute I got to spend learning from them. Now that I’m back in the states, I’m so excited to continue working and advocating for the lives of shelter animals. I am beyond grateful to have experienced life on Saipan and will carry those memories with me forever.
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!
Reply