A seven-year-old dog was rescued from floods during Hurricane Florence was named People magazine The cutest rescue dog in the world. The announcement was made Wednesday exclusively on CBS Mornings.
Bastian beat out two other finalists, Apollo and Tiki, to take first place. He was found waiting in floodwaters with his sister during the 2018 hurricane in South Carolina. After the rescue, he was brought to New Jersey, where he was the only dog not adopted at an adoption event—until Joel Andres, his current owner, took him home. His sister was adopted into another family.
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“It was so surreal,” Andres said of the competition on “CBS Mornings.”
When he was first rescued, Bastian was described as “very withdrawn.” Andres said many adopters are looking for the “moment of love at first sight,” where the dog instantly connects, but she decided to give it time to open up.
To help him communicate, Andres taught Bastian to use recordable buttons that say words like “walk,” “outdoor,” “heal,” “water,” “hello,” and “home.” She said it was a way to give him freedom to take care of himself.
As the winner of the competition, Bastian will be featured in People magazine. The publication will also donate $1,000 in his honor to the Burlington County Animal Alliance in New Jersey, the group that helped rescue him.
