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Boonie Tails

By Aria Keilbach

Mort (short for Voldemort)

This week’s Boonie Tails is about one small dog named Mort, and the much bigger conversations his story has sparked. Mort’s rescue, his condition, and the reaction to his video have opened a window into realities we live with every day at Boonie Babies: the cost of backyard breeding, the limits of rescue work on Saipan, and the emotional complexity of doing this job long‑term. So without further ado, meet Mort!

We found Mort at our one and only shelter, he had been picked up severely neglected and dangerously malnourished, a small mixed‑breed dog many locals would label a “Maltese” or “Poodle.” As I cracked the kennel door to take a peek, he lay curled up tight with missing hair and in skeletal condition, defeated. He looked halfway to death’s door so I was completely shocked when a few kissy noises from me jolted him up and running over to me, lips pulled back in the form of submissive smiles so exaggerated and joyful they almost felt surreal against the backdrop of his condition.
His intake video spread far beyond our island. Hundreds of thousands of people saw him, many fell in love like we did. And with that attention came support, outrage, confusion, and judgment, all at once.

Dogs like Mort are idolized here. Small white dogs, called purebred regardless of actual breed mixes, are highly desired and heavily backyard bred. There is a massive market for them, even as Saipan struggles with an estimated 21,000 stray Boonie dogs, all in need of homes and care. As a rescue, it is deeply frustrating to see this cycle repeat. Mort’s story moved the internet, yet the same systems that created his suffering continue to thrive. Dogs are bought while shelters overflow. Backyard breeders are supported while rescues scramble for resources. Mort is not an exception, he is a symptom. Loving Mort means looking honestly at the choices that put dogs like him on the streets in the first place and choosing better.

Working with what we have

Another focal point of the viral response was our shelter itself. The rust. The wear. The lack of basic infrastructure and any bedding or comfort items. The comments were angry, shocked, and horrified.

That reaction is understandable, the conditions are hard to see. What’s harder to convey in a short video is context. We operate in a place with limited funding, limited resources, and limited outside support. Many of the comments came from a place of privilege, where rescue looks different, where help is easier to access, where infrastructure is assumed. The anger isn’t wrong, but outrage without understanding doesn’t fix what’s broken. Learning, listening, and sustained support do.

One of the most painful criticisms was directed at me (Aria), specifically, that I was laughing in Mort’s video. What the camera caught was a moment of contrast: a dog in terrible condition offering the biggest, most submissive smiles imaginable. In that moment, I couldn’t help but laugh, here was this dog that I honestly thought was already mentally and physically gone when I opened the kennel door, bursting into the silliest grin I’d ever seen. I laughed out of relief and recognition of Mort’s will to survive.

This work hardens and softens you at the same time. Being desensitized is both a curse and a coping mechanism. We live inside stories like Mort’s every single day. If we treated each one with only visible grief, we would not survive this work. Joy, humor, and lightness don’t negate suffering. Sometimes they’re the only way through it.

Holding all of this at once

Mort’s story isn’t just about one dog. It’s about backyard breeding, systemic neglect, limited resources, and the emotional toll of animal rescue. It’s about how the world sees us, and how little of the full picture fits into a viral clip. We’re grateful that Mort is safe. We’re grateful that people care. And we hope that caring goes beyond one dog, one video, or one emotional reaction. Because for every Mort the internet sees, there are thousands of others still waiting quietly, off camera, and just as deserving.
Thank you for being part of Boonie Tails, and for staying with the hard, complicated truth of rescue work alongside us.

Exclusive Mort update

Shhhh don’t tell anyone on Instagram or TikTok because this exclusive Mort update is only for Boonie Tails subscribers…

Although still looking very scraggily and overall naked, Mort is currently working very hard to heal his skin and grow his hair back. We have been helping him with this process by giving him frequent medicated baths using shampoo specially formulated to help with mange and damaged skin. He has already put on more weight and continues to look and feel better every day.

Mort enjoys meal times, weaseling his way past your feet to get through the door in search of more food (we’re working on this), and running out into the driveway to be the first to greet us when we get home. We have truly never seen a more contagious smile and can’t wait to see what’s in store for Mort as he is one special boy.

Hungry Boonies

Don’t let Mort and the rest of our rescues starve, click HERE to see what items our Boonies currently need! Just select the item you wish to purchase on our wishlist, head to the checkout, and it will be shipped directly to our P.O. Box! We are completely out of dog food and although we can purchase bags on island, it is extremely expensive and poor quality. Your donations truly mean the world to us and our animals, especially our little piggy Mort. Saving the Boonies would not be possible without the generosity of people like you, thank you! P.S. did you know we have three cats now?

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Boonie of the Week

I made a donation in order to have first right to adopt if no one claimed her. I was so anxious. I was sure her family was looking for her and would be picking her up. I was obsessed with checking the website every few hours to see if she was still there. On day 3 I went to visit her. They would only let me see her through the glass. As you can see in the "prison photo" she stole my heart in spite of the bars and glass between us. I knew instantly that no one was coming for her and that she belonged with me. Sure enough on day 5 after being spayed, we were able to bring her home! It was sheer joy! She instantly made our home her home. I decided to name her Phoebe after one of my assisted living residents that I cared for many years ago. She was a dog lover!

Our Phoebe was very skinny underneath all that fur. You could feel her ribs and it seems like one of them may have been broken at one point. She can be a little timid with strangers but warms up eventually. I have no idea what her life was like before she rescued us. However, now she is a very spoiled and loved little baby! She has tons of toys that she loves to scatter all over the house. When we come home she greets us at the door with a toy to give us. She gets the zoomies and runs like the wind until she wears herself out and plops on the floor! She loves her walks and is constantly looking for the neighborhood bunnies to chase. She is always ready for an adventure. She loves boating and road trips! She loves wearing dresses and gets so happy when its time to get dressed! Her snuggles will heal your soul!

Have a rescued animal of any kind? Submit their story to us via email at [email protected] to see them featured as ‘Boonie of the Week’! We love hearing from you and sharing your stories.

Boonie Tails is free to read but if you liked this post, support Boonie Babies and this newsletter by pledging a monthly donation of only $5! Thank you for reading and we’ll see you next week! Click the link below to pledge your support and help us save the Boonies.