Rescue, Rehabilitation, Relocation

What are boonie dogs?

              Saipan, a beautiful island in the Pacific, is most renowned for its influence in WW2. Evidence of the battles here are everywhere, from the sunken tanks and planes offshore to the pill boxes, memorials, and even unexploded ordinances scattered all over the island. However, the most common and identifiable remnants of the war’s history are the boonie dogs. After WW2, countless combat dogs that had been used to sniff out bombs and hiding Japanese soldiers in Saipan's thick jungle were lost or left behind. Today the descendants of those heroic war dogs are uniquely known as "boonie dogs", a jumbled mix of bloodhounds, Rottweilers, labradors, Dobermans, German Shepards and more. Today, the distinct breeds in the genepool are nearly unrecognizable in these dogs as the isolation, crossbreeding, and diversity of the dog population has made Boonie Dogs their own "breed" Ameican Village Dogs, coming in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Boonie dogs roam the island living off any scraps they can find and enduring the harsh rainstorms and blistering heat. Most are homeless, starving, sick, and covered in ticks and mange, as Saipan is the only U.S. territory to enact an animal cruelty law in just 2020, one which still goes unenforced. The ONLY animal clinic on-island, tries their best to provide adequate medical care to the community's pets, but without a veterinarian or sufficient resources, the sheer number of dogs in need can be overwhelming. Things have been especially difficult since 2018 when our island was hit by Super Typhoon Yutu whose 200 mile per hour winds destroyed nearly everything in its path and displaced many people and animals. Then, with Corona Virus affecting the globe, veterinarians have been unable to easily travel all the way to Saipan. Therefore, there are no certified vets on the entire island, the effects of which are devastating to animals who need veterinary treatment or spay and neuter procedures. The already rampant population has surged even more without the practice of sterilization being possible. Boonie Babies was founded in 2018 as a small, individual rescue group to aid the community and animals of Saipan. Our mission is to make a sutainable change in the lives of the people and animals of Saipan. To learn more and see how you can help us achieve this, click the button below.

Dogs have

a way of finding the

people who need them

And fulfilling an

emptiness we didn't even

know we had