When Boonie Babies, the only dog rescue on the island of Saipan, got word that puppies had been abandoned at a deserted mall, cofounder Aria Keilbach and a volunteer rushed to the scene.
With over 21,000 stray dogs on the island and no veterinarians, the need is overwhelming. Still, every cry matters — and soon, the team heard faint whimpers echoing through the empty mall.
Following the sound, they found two tiny puppies huddled together. But they weren’t alone. Standing watch was an adult dog — not the mother, as they first assumed, but a male.
“At first, I thought he’d just wandered there,” Keilbach said. “But when we picked up the puppies, everything changed.”
The dog, later named Kai, grew frantic. He jumped up on the rescuers, pacing and whining, desperate not to be left behind. His reaction made one thing clear: whether or not he was their biological father, in his heart, those puppies were his.
The rescuers hesitated. Male dogs rarely show such fierce protectiveness toward puppies. Would he let them take him too?
They gently loaded the puppies into a crate inside their car. Kai panicked again, circling and searching for a way in. When the rescuers invited him, he hesitated for only a moment — then, with courage, leapt into the car to be with his babies.
Now safe at the rescue, Kai and the puppies are inseparable. The little ones climb over him, showering him with kisses, while he rests with a calm contentment, as if he’s exactly where he’s meant to be.
“The three of them are still completely enamored with each other,” Keilbach said. “It’s clear that as long as they’re together, they’re happy.”
