Boonie Babies founders, Aria Keilbach, left, and her sister Grace Keilbach.
THE third episode of the Hot Girls Rescue Dogs podcasts, created by Boonie Babies founders Grace and Aria Keilbach, will be launched online on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The sisters said the latest episode is their way of addressing the online negativity they receive when they rescue stray dogs on Saipan.
The episode and entire podcast can be found on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
“The point of the episode is to highlight why we have this slogan ‘hot girls rescue dogs,’ ” said Boonie Babies President Grace Keilbach; “where it came from and how the silly catchphrase just represents us taking back the power from all of the negativity that we get as two young women doing what we do.”
Grace said when it comes to their organization’s work, online commentors seek to detract from the sisters simply because of the content they post.
“A lot of actions and the humanitarian and animal work have been discredited simply based on the fact that we’re two young girls who go to the beach wearing bikinis as well,” she said.
“They do not want to see us, or our bodies, or us as young women doing what we do,” Aria said. “We usually respond [with] it’s 80 degrees outside, we are sweaty, and we are picking up dog poop and trying to bathe all these nasty mutts. We need to do it in clothing that is appropriate.”
But aside from making sure their critics get their organization’s message straight, the Boonie Babies are also using their platform to address the myriad of questions they receive about what they do, and why they do it.
Podcasting “has always been something on our minds because we get so many questions over social media and in person,” Aria said. “[People ask] in-depth questions, not only about the dogs, but also how we ended up here.”
Aria said a podcast allows them to address topics in a detailed way.
She said in the two episodes currently online, they tell humorous stories of misadventures at the beach, the “first stray dog that found us,” how their organization was founded, and more.
Grace said their show is recorded on Saipan, and they keep it “authentic” by recording live in their living room, with all their dogs around them.
The pair will use the podcasts to further their advocacy for dog welfare.
Grace said there are also dog problems throughout much of the states.
“Saipan is not the only place with an animal welfare problem. Although it is on a much larger scale and much more in your face on Saipan, the entire U.S. is struggling with a shelter crisis,” she said. “Dogs are being euthanized at an alarming rate.”
The Boonie Babies said they see the podcast as a way to “speak out and educate people.”
On Saipan, they added, compared to online trolls or negative commentators, they receive much support for their advocacy.
“It’s really hard what we do — [we] see a lot of heartbreak and a lot of hard things,” Grace said. “So having a community that says, ‘we notice a difference’ — we really appreciate it, and it makes us even more excited to continue doing what we’re doing.”
“We’re so grateful for the Saipan community,” Aria said. “We’re so grateful for that because we have so many people that just degrade and diminish our work to what we wear, and that has never been an issue for the Saipan community.”
