Squishy was in a state of complete and utter terror when she was discovered on the shore of the island of Saipan for the first time. She was in awful shape and would lash out at everyone who came within a mile or two of her, even if they were only walking by. The people who were observing her on the beach saw that she needed assistance, so they got in touch with Boonie Babies Rescue.
“I got to the beach in about five minutes because it was extremely close to my house,” Aria Keilbach, the founder of Boonie Babies Rescue, told The Dodo. “Squishy had a hard time keeping her strength up because of the heat and she was dehydrated. Although I would assume that she was only placed there that day or a day or two before, it was apparent from her malnourishment, tick illness, and mange that she had not been effectively cared for for weeks.” “She had a collar on, and this beach is very renowned for dumping animals, so although I would say that she was just dumped there that day or a day or two before, it was clear that she had not been sufficiently cared for for weeks.”
Squishy continued to growl and snap at Keilbach and the volunteers she had recruited, but she was in such poor condition that catching her was not difficult. Keilbach promptly moved her to a safe location after securing her with a towel and doing so fast. Squishy was naturally terrified after everything that she had been through; yet, it didn’t take her long to realize that she was finally secure with someone who would care for her the way that she deserved to be cared for.
“Just a few hours after I brought her home, she realized we were not going to hurt her and stopped growling when we approached. Instead, she began offering little tail wags,” Keilbach said. “I brought her home because I wanted her to have a safe place to live.” “By that very same night, she was hesitantly accepting pets and giving kisses.”
Squishy made remarkable progress in terms of her recovery as time went on. Her fur started to grow back, and her rescuers were able to bring the rest of her diseases under control as well. Eventually, she was able to completely trust humans once again after making this progress. Because she is effectively a whole new dog at this point, she is almost unrecognizable in comparison to how she appeared on the beach the day that she was saved.
“Her personality blossoming has been equally as impressive as, if not even more so than, her physical transformation,” Keilbach said. “As amazing as her physical transformation has been.” “Squishy is self-assured, immensely kind, bright, and really eager to acquire new knowledge. She enjoys going on new experiences and romping about with other canines, but her absolute favorite thing to do is earn rewards via hard work!
After observing Squishy’s miraculous metamorphosis, Keilbach realized there was no way she’d be able to part with her. Typically, she rescues dogs and then helps them find homes, but she knew there was no way she’d be able to do that with Squishy.
“I have rescued, rehabilitated, and adopted out over 300 dogs in my time here on Saipan, but I have never fallen so in love with a dog more than I have with Squishy,” Keilbach said. “Squishy is the dog that has made me fall in love with dogs in a way that I never thought possible.” I have come to the conclusion that I will not be able to let go of this very unique child, and so, she will continue to be a part of the Boonie Babies squad indefinitely.
Squishy was in a state of complete and total defeat when she was discovered on the beach for the first time. She is now happy, loved, and is really living out her own personal fairytale.