In partnership with

Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

This week on Saipan, we are thrilled to be helping Saipan Humane Society (n collaboration with the Banfield Foundation) host another life changing and life saving spay and neuter clinic! So many dogs, including Boonie Babies rescues Henry and our recently adopted pit mix Aries, received care. They will now live happier, healthier, and longer; they will never contribute to the population problem. In addition to being neutered, Henry’s leg will be amputated tomorrow!

Spay and neuter is truly the most rewarding and impactful thing we do. From the volunteers ensuring as many animals as possible get through surgery safely, to each person who brings in their own dog or neighborhood cat, it is always so special to see the community come together and fight for change. Thank you Saipan Humane Society for making this happen, and thank you to everyone who has donated to any of our spay and neuter campaigns. When you don’t have consistent access to veterinary care, trust us, the amount of animals and the cost can add up quickly! Because of the generosity of people like you, we never have to turn away anyone who wants their animal to receive care.

If you would like to donate towards our spay and neuter efforts, you can send your donation via Paypal HERE. $75 covers the cost of an entire surgery, and anything helps make a difference.

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Boonie of the Week

Named after Stevie Wonder as the tick disease she was fighting had caused her to lose most of her eye sight, Stevie was immediately the most out going, sweet, spunky, and kind dog. She quickly stole the hearts of anyone who met her and became the crowd favorite for all humans and dogs alike. Due to her broken jaw, Stevie could not properly open her mouth to chew so we started feeding her canned cat food. As she never got it in her mouth very well, this made her entire face very stinky and earned her the nickname “Salmon Snoot”. 

Stevie quickly became one of my favorites and I took her everywhere with me. She attended yoga classes, slept in my bed, went on hiking adventures, and became quite the beach girl. One of my favorite memories of Stevie is of her at my 21st Mama Mia themed birthday party. My friend Jack had put together the most beautiful rooftop  dinner for me and my friend Isa whose birthdays are only a few days apart. Of course, Stevie was invited. We brought her up and she quickly got to greeting all of the guests, completely unfazed by the loud music and crowd. As the night went on, people started leaving their alcoholic beverages on the floor and we soon found Steive making the rounds trying them out and loving every sip she was able to steal. We quickly put an end to this, but that dog had the time of her life while the fun lasted!

My friend Isa already had one Boonie (in a house that didn’t allow dogs) and was moving to the States soon. She learned the hard way, you can’t say no to the Salmon Snoot. Stevie quickly won her over and we started to make plans to get Stevie to her family in Sweden which, as long time readers know, is never easy. Stevie spent months with Isa and her family, loving every minute of it. She had recovered from tick disease and was getting bigger and stronger every day. However, she still needed to see a vet to assess the extent of her jaw injury.

Stevie’s story is a harsh reminder of the reality we face on Saipan without a vet. Months later when a visiting vet arrived, we took Stevie in hopeful that something could be done for our precious, canned cat food loving girl. Unfortunately, that was not the case. During surgery, the vet discovered the extent of her injuries were beyond repair and the damage done would cause her pain and discomfort for the rest of her life. We made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize.

Despite whatever challenges and pain she may have faced before finding us, the rest of her days were filled with endless, love, laughter, and snacks. Every dog we’ve had to euthanize, for whatever reason, will always have a piece of our hearts, but Stevie definitely takes a larger, canned cat food shaped one.

To see just how amazing Stevie was, please take the time to honor her memory by watching her Dodo video HERE. Make sure you stay till the end to hear her very own theme song.

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