Meet Bastian — a 7-year-old rat terrier mix whose story feels like it came from a fairy tale, except every part of it is real.
In 2025, PEOPLE crowned him World’s Cutest Rescue Dog, and his journey to that title is equal parts heartache, grit, and brilliant triumph.
Back in 2018, Hurricane Florence ravaged communities and lives. Bastian was one of those lives caught in its wrath.
He was found floating in floodwaters, clinging to survival, with his sister by his side.
He was brought into Burlington County Animal Alliance, New Jersey — and by a twist of fate, he was the only dog not adopted at that very event.
That’s when Joelle Andres entered the picture. She had been searching for a dog but didn’t think Bastian would be hers.
Yet when the rescue called with news that Bastian hadn’t been adopted, she didn’t hesitate. Through pouring rain on that day, she drove hours to meet him.
She saw the sadness in his eyes, the weariness in his frame, and she said, “You’re coming home with me.”
Life with Joelle wasn’t smooth at first. Bastian was shy, suffering from separation anxiety, and emotionally closed off.
But Joelle—having the patience of a saint—didn’t push too fast. She leaned into small victories. She watched him. She waited.
She let him open up at his own pace.
Then they tried something ambitious: a communication board full of buttons. Each button recorded a word: “walk,” “treat,” “outside,” “hello,” “home,” and more.
Joelle taught Bastian to press the buttons. He learned fast. Before long, he was using a board of around 100 buttons to express needs and ideas.
It wasn’t just a novelty. The videos of Bastian using buttons are now helping research into animal cognition.
He’s not just cute — he’s proof of how much we underestimate how much our animal companions feel and think.
When the voting came up in the 2025 “World’s Cutest Rescue Dog” contest (presented by the PEDIGREE® brand), Bastian captured hearts.
Thousands of votes poured in. Celebrity judges like Kristin Davis and Shawn Johnson East joined the final round. Bastian emerged victorious, beating out finalists like Apollo and Tiki.
His prize? A year’s supply of dog food and a $1,000 donation to Burlington County Animal Alliance — the very shelter that had helped him to begin with.
Today, Bastian lives with Joelle in Levittown, N.Y. He’s more than a pet — he’s a voice. He makes boat rides, walks, playful zooms part of his life.
And with his buttons, he continues to teach humans something essential: rescue is not just about saving life — it’s about giving that life a chance to speak, to feel, to grow.
He started in floodwater. He became a shelter pup. He blossomed into a voice.
Now he’s the world’s cutest rescue dog — and living proof that every shelter dog has a story worth listening to.
