Kayla Filoon is a volunteer with the ACCT Philly – a Philadelphia-based animals shelter. She has been walking the dogs for the past year. Kayla loves her volunteer work, and has a bond with all her shelter dogs, but there is one stray in particular that really burrowed deep into her heart.
Russ is a stray who came to ACCT Philly in horrible condition. The poor dog was gravely underweight, had missing patches of fur, and was badly bruised. On top of that, Russ was suffering from kennel cough. The 4-year-old Pit Bull had a pretty rough appearance as he sat in his kennel, staring at Kayla.
She decided to talk the unfortunate-looking dog for a walk, and was surprised to discover that Russ was actually quite well-behaved. He didn’t react or bark like other dogs, and he also showed a very affectionate side. Russ also showed that he had a knowledge of basic commands. Right then and there, Kayla decided that she was going to adopt him the very next day.
And THIS right here people is why you should adopt!!! My niece and her newly adopted ACCT Philly dog of less than 2…
Posted by Jamie Holt on Monday, February 6, 2017
Kayla knew that she was going to have to act fast – the shelter was facing space issues with overcrowding, so that put Russ at risk of being euthanized. So, the very next day, she gladly filled in the paperwork and brought Russ home with her.
Russ was less than 2 weeks living with Kayla, photos showed a well-adjusted Russ. Based off the picture captured by Kayla’s aunt, it is clear that he is a cuddly, sweetheart. In the picture, he and Kayla are on the couch together. It is so precious, that once it was posted to social media, it went viral.
As Kayla shared with The Dodo, “One night I’m sitting there on the chair, doing my homework, and he’s trying to find ways to cuddle with me. There was a whole other sofa open, and we had his bed on the floor, but he didn’t want to lie anywhere else. So he ends up positioning himself, and I look down, and I think, ‘Oh my gosh, look at him.’”
She added, “He’s such a love bug, honestly. I’ll be lying there, and he’ll put his head under my arm, or his paw over my chest. And he’ll even lay on my chest.”
Such a cute pair. Kayla is hopeful that perhaps the picture of the two of them together will help to get other people inspired to adopt shelter dogs as well and provide them with loving homes.
