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Rookie was perhaps destined for a life of roaming free on the streets of Guam, which would come with its fair share of mange, worms and other ailments, if it wasn’t for a kind stranger plucking him from the street and changing the trajectory of his life forever.
According to the Boonie Flight Project, Rookie’s mother was dumped on the streets while pregnant. He and the rest of his litter were born into the tropical, sweltering, and humid island environment unaware of where their life would take them. They are an attractive bunch and Rookie’s siblings quickly found homes. But Rookie, a boonie dog with a long, complicated mixed genealogy that left him with legs like a hotdog and a pale tan coat, was passed over.
He still didn’t have a home on April 13, 2020, when the Boonie Flight Project posted his photo online.
“This little fella needs his family,” the Boonie Flight Project post read. “He is a little shy at first but quickly can warm up to you in a calm environment and will be cuddled up with you in no time.”
Attached was a photo collage of Rookie. Four pictures of the pint-sized pup taken at different angles showed off his cute little legs and floppy ears. A tiny bell hung from his green collar. In one photo he is sitting up, proud. In another picture, he throws a timid-looking glance off to the right.
It really took no time to get Rookie cuddled up with his new owner. Within days of the Boonie Flight Project post, Savanna had seen it and within weeks, Rookie was in Savanna’s arms, settling into his new life on another island.
“I saw him, put in an application, literally 30 minutes later, I was approved. They messaged me, and they were like, ‘You will have him in two weeks,’” Savanna said. “It was crazy exciting.”
Savanna loved Rookie’s given name and loved it so much she opted to keep it. Rookie is Savanna’s only pet and is “definitely a mama’s boy,” she said.
Savanna spent a lot of her life growing up around animals and contemplated getting a dog for quite a while now.
“I grew up in a house that we have had, I don't even know how many, dogs. We have had a lot. We have also had a pig, we have also taken care of a baby squirrel. It has been a lot but I've always been an animal person. I've always been an advocate for animals. So I definitely support the rescues that go out of their way to help these little babies,” she said.
As Savanna speaks from Hawai’i through Zoom, Rookie is never far away. He leaves her only to find some of his toys in another part of the room. Although he’s out of frame, he contributes to the conversation through a series of squeaky toy noises. At the end of the call, perhaps sensing his mom’s time has been occupied long enough, Rookie hops onto Savanna’s lap earning himself a loving pet that runs the length of his side.
Back in April, when Savanna met Rookie for the first time she described it as an emotional experience.
She had been downtown when she got the call that Rookie was ready for her. She drove to Tails of Hawaii facility and was wearing a blue surgical mask that happened to match the color of Rookie’s collar. Her mask, however, couldn’t hide the joy from her face as a woman brought Rookie out to her.
“He was shaking. He was so nervous. But he came straight to me and I was just, I was trying my hardest not to cry. I was emotional,” Savanna recalled.
On the way to his new home, Rookie fell asleep in Savanna’s lap, exhausted from flying from Guam to Hawai’i in a plane full of other puppies. He was shy at first but has since grown into a playful and funny little doggo, according to Savanna.
“The two main things that stand out to me when he plays is how vocal and how fast he tries to be,” she said.
Rookie also has since picked up a career as a model in this new life.
Folks always notice Rookie’s ears. He has one that’s perpetually upright.
“People notice it so much and it’s one of my absolute favorite things about him. He’s so unique,” Savanna said.
When the Boonie Flight Project uploaded the first images of Rookie as a puppy looking for a home, no one could have guessed that those photos would essentially be the first photos of Rookie’s modeling portfolio.
One day, a company in Hawai’i reached out to Rookie and asked if he’d model their product and Savanna agreed.
“And then it was kind of like a domino effect. More companies were reaching out. So yeah, he models for a few companies,” Savanna said bashfully.
“He's been doing it since he was little little. So he's very photogenic. And he knows, like, when I'm like, ‘Alright,’ and I put a bandana on him. And I'm like, ‘Sit.’ And he knows, He also knows he’s going to get treats with it,” she laughed.
“Honestly, I got lucky,” she said, pensively, as if she wasn’t the one who saved Rookie from what could’ve been a lonely life as a stray on Guam.
Once she and Rookie are out of the puppy stage and have settled into a routine Savanna plans to rescue another dog so Rookie can grow up with a brother or sister. She said she wants to get a dog from the Boonie Flight Project.
“We really love the organization that we work with,” she said. The Boonie Flight Project has built a far-reaching community through its efforts. Savanna said they still keep in touch with her.
“They still check in on us, they comment on his pictures on Instagram, they love that he has an Instagram so they can see him grow.
“So it's not like just a one and done like I feel like most facilities are. They have that constant line of communication with us. And it's really nice because it makes you feel kind of personable with them,” she said. ”It's just cool to have that connection.”
Savanna has since turned two of her friends on to the Boonie Flight Project and when people ask about Rookie being a boonie, she is happy to tell them more about the organization.
“So it's pretty cool when they do ask because I do get to tell them about the Boonie Flight Project and how it works,” she said. ◉
You can follow Rookie on Instagram @arescuenamed_rookie.
Thank you so much to Savanna for her time and for telling us about her Boonie Flight Project experience and telling us about her sweet boy Rookie.
If you want to find out more about the Boonie Flight Project, visit boonieflightproject.com. Learn more about how the program came to be here on The Husk, thanks to co-founder Lauren Cabrera who explained the inception of the BFP.
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And feel free to send this to someone you know who would enjoy reading about a stray pup turned poster boy. 3
In this podcast episode, I used music from Pixabay and Freesound. I also used “Signs To Nowhere” by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com and “Through The Woods” by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com.
October is Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, so in addition to the regular Micronesian Monday Features and Friday Weekenders, I published stories about boonie dogs and the Boonie Flight Project every Wednesday this month.
From street dog to supermodel: Boonie dog finds loving home in Hawai'i