BOONIE Babies Saipan co-founders Aria and Grace Keilbach talked about their passion for animals during the Rotarians’ weekly luncheon meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Giovanni’s Restaurant on Tuesday.
The sisters, who are originally from Pueblo, Colorado, have rescued about 300 dogs and cats from the streets of Saipan.
Aria was 16 years old when she started feeding stray dogs and cats that she came across on her way to school and back home. This was in 2018. Her sister, Grace, joined her here in 2020 and since then, they have been working together to rescue more stray animals.
They said their passion grew to a greater mission to rehabilitate and relocate stray animals.
The bottom line is, “we have to educate people on what is wrong in order to actually fix the problem,” Grace said, referring to the island’s stray dog population.
“We are trying to solve the problem here, get them off the island and really put a dent on the stray dog population as well as create a new culture across Marianas of what it means to be pet owners, and if we don’t want a pet, what it means to show respect for animals, specifically dogs and cats,” Grace said.
Aria said when she first arrived on island, “I had quite honestly barely seen a stray dog in my entire life.”
“If you are from the states, you know that it is a huge deal to see a stray dog. If there is one on the road there would be three cars that would pull over trying to catch it and everybody’s fighting over who’s going to take it home,” Aria said.
On Saipan, driving around and seeing stray animals, Aria said: “I was just taken aback. And it was a matter of what the heck could I do, as a 16-year-old, when nobody else wasn’t doing anything.”
She realized that she simply had to feed stray dogs. So, every time she saw a dog while driving around, she would give the dog food.
Aria recognized that what she was doing was not a very sustainable solution, “but at the time, I figured it was the only thing I could do and this was where I could start.”
With her sister Grace and through their group, Boonie Babies Saipan, they have rescued “more dogs than ever before” while making their presence known on social media to raise awareness about the island’s stray animal problem.
“No matter how small your action may be, you really do end up making a difference one way or another,” Grace said. “You’ll never know really what that can turn into.”
For more information, go to https://booniebabiessaipan.com/about/.
Boonie Babies Saipan co-founder Grace Keilbach, center, holds a certificate of appreciation, as she and her sister and co-founder, Aria, fifth right, pose for a photo with Rotary Club of Saipan President Wendell Posadas, fifth left, and other Rotarians at the Hyatt’s Giovanni’s Restaurant on Tuesday.
