He Was Rescued from Hurricane Floodwaters — Now Bastian the Dog ‘Talks’ Using 100 Buttons

Rescue Dog Bastian Wins ‘World’s Cutest’ After Surviving a Hurricane and Learning to Talk with Buttons

When Joelle Andres first saw a photo of a scruffy little rat terrier on a pet adoption site, something about his soulful eyes stopped her in her tracks.

“He just looked so sad — kind of shut down and lost,” Andres recalls. Even though she couldn’t attend the adoption event because of a wedding, she applied anyway, hoping for a miracle.

A few days later, Andres got a call she’ll never forget: Bastian, the only pup who hadn’t been adopted, was still waiting. Without hesitation, she drove through pouring rain from her home in Levittown, New York, to New Jersey to meet him.

“He was this tiny, skinny boy,” she says. “I picked him up and just knew — you’re coming home with me.”

That was October 11, 2018. Seven years later, Bastian is not only thriving — he’s been crowned the winner of PEOPLE’s 2025 World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest, presented by the PEDIGREE® Brand.

From Hurricane Survivor to Social Media Star

Before finding his forever home, Bastian had survived the floodwaters of Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas. When rescued, he was frightened, frail, and only nine pounds.

“He was nervous and jumpy — his ears would go back, and his eyes would dart around,” Andres says. “He clearly didn’t trust people yet.”

But with patience, long walks, and endless love, Bastian began to heal. His playful, energetic side started to shine, and soon he was logging 30,000 steps a day and catching frisbees with gusto.

The Dog Who Talks

To help Bastian express himself, Andres introduced him to communication buttons — recordable buttons that play words when pressed. They started with one button: “treat.”

“He figured it out almost immediately,” Andres says with a laugh.

Now, Bastian has a board of over 100 buttons, from “walk” and “outside” to “ouch” and “paw.” He’s become a viral sensation on Instagram (@bastianandbrews) with more than 130,000 followers, and even caught the attention of researchers studying canine cognition.

A Friend and a Healer

Bastian’s communication skills proved extraordinary when he began pressing his “concerned” button while checking on Andres’s elderly cat, Kiley, who was suffering from kidney disease.

“Every time he did, I’d take her to the vet — and they’d find her meds needed adjustment,” Andres shares. “They said she might have six months left… she lived two more years.”

Andres believes Bastian’s empathy and intuition played a real role in extending Kiley’s life. Today, he shares his home with Andres, her mother Gerry, and a new feline companion named Westley.

“He loves deeply. He’s resilient, smart, and full of heart,” Andres says. “Bastian’s not just the cutest — he’s a survivor who reminds us what love can do.”