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Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

Saving The Boonies

When Aria and I first started Boonie Babies, we never imagined that millions of people around the world would be watching and supporting us along the way. Working in rescue on a remote island with no veterinarian or enforced animal cruelty laws (there weren’t any animal cruelty laws even passed in the CNMI until 2020) is brutal, but it has truly made us into the strong, independent, and determined women we are today. These dogs have more than changed our lives, they have shaped them.

Animals were always a part of my and Aria’s life growing up so we couldn’t have been more excited as young teenagers when we moved to Saipan and our wildest dreams of living in 101 Dalmatians, Boonie Edition, came true. Of course, the dream quickly turned into the nightmare when we discovered that instead of a manageable number of dogs like 101, it was closer to 30,000.

With over 30,000 strays, extremely limited resources, and no idea what we were doing, to say we were in over our heads would have been an understatement. What we did have though was a love for animals so strong that we were going to do whatever it took to try and save them (even if that meant turning our entire house into a shelter and spending all of our money on dog food).

From our own personal Boonies, to every other dog who has come through our care, each one has affected us in ways big and small. Whether they are long term fosters or the ones so hurt we took them in only to euthanize, they have all changed our lives and taught us an important lesson: anyone can make a difference. Saving the Boonies has been the adventure of a lifetime and it has been incredible to share our passion with the world. These dogs changed our lives, and it has been an honor to help change theirs.

Breaking Boonie News

If you haven’t already seen, this week a Boonie baby was featured on The Dogist, a collection of social media pages by Elias Weiss Friedman with over 9 million followers across all platforms. The Dogist focuses on capturing the joy dogs bring into our lives through simple photographs he takes of dogs walking the streets of New York with their owners.

A past Boonie rescue, Kaya, now lives in Brooklyn, so we reached out to Elias not really expecting to hear back due to the fact he’s a celebrity in the dog world. I couldn’t believe it when I got an email a few days later. Not only was he excited to meet up with Kaya, but he wanted to do an interview with us about the work we’ve been doing!

Getting to share our love for Boonies with a new audience and someone we have admired and followed for years is an experience for which we will forever be grateful. Seeing these jungle dogs, who were not supposed to make it out alive, receive hundreds of thousands of likes on the internet from people who had never even heard of Saipan before is surreal. Thank you Elias for helping us save the Boonies! To check out our interview with The Dogist on Substack, click HERE.

Boonie Book Club

Don’t forget to join our unofficial book club by reading ‘This Dog Will Change Your Life’ by Elias Weiss Friedman. This book perfectly puts into the words the connections we form with our furry best friends and is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry.

To join our unofficial book club, click HERE to read on Kindle or order your hard cover copy HERE. Although we earn commission from Amazon by linking the book, it is not a paid promotion, just our genuine recommendation. If you make this your next read, please let us know what you think!

Buy for Boonies

Support your favorite rescue by purchasing your everyday human and dog essentials through our Amazon Store Front. We have everything listed from dog and cat food to our favorite sunscreen and facial bronzing drops. All items listed are used by us and Boonie approved. The best part? Shopping from our storefront comes at no extra cost to you, we just earn commission for recommending it. Click HERE to buy for Boonies!

Already have what you need for you and your pet? Share the love and select something from our wishlist to ship directly to our front door (A.K.A. PO Box on Saipan, no mail is directly delivered). Click HERE to see what items our rescues currently need.

Hot Girls Rescue Dogs

This comment wouldn’t fit on our new shirt so we had to settle for ‘Hot Girls Rescue Dogs’ instead. Support your favorite rescue and look good doing it! Click HERE to order your new favorite oversized comfort T today.

Click the link in this ad to passively donate to Boonie Babies! We receive money for every person that opens the link. Every click counts!

The hidden costs of chronic pet conditions

Many pet owners don’t realize that chronic illnesses (like diabetes or allergies) can cost far more over a pet’s lifetime than a single emergency.

Pet insurance could save you thousands in repeat treatments and costs, so you’re not forced to choose between your pet’s health and other important expenses. Check out Money’s best pet insurance list to find plans starting at $10/month.

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Boonie of the Week

Thank you

To everyone reading this, we cannot thank you enough for your support. As we work to make Boonie Babies more financially sustainable, things like this newsletter and the links throughout play a huge role in doing so. Boonie Babies is 100% funded by people like you, thank you for making saving the Boonies pawsible. We’ll see you next Monday!

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!