Russ, a 4-year-old pit bull, was roaming Philly’s streets. When ACCT animal shelter staff found him, he looked like he had taken a lot of beating for a while. He was emaciated; had patches on his skin with missing fur, and was terrified of humans. But the team worked to gain his trust and get him into the car.
Kayla Filoon was one of the volunteers at Philly’s ACCT shelter. She volunteered to walk dogs from the shelter when she had a break from her school work. When he saw Russ, she felt like something was different about him. While all other dogs were causing a racket, he just sat there, quietly.
Filoon Falls in Love with Russ on Their First Walk
As usual, Kayla had to walk the newcomer. During their walk, Kayla noted that Russ was a quiet and polite dog. He didn’t bark at other dogs in the park; he just quietly walked alongside her. That is the part where she fell in love with him and thought of adopting him.
Filoon called her mother for advice. But her mother was used to her kind nature of falling in love with the shelter dogs she walks, and didn’t think she was serious. However, as time went by, Kayla couldn’t shake the thought off her mind.
As fate would have it, the shelter was getting crowded. This is the nudge that Filoon needed, and she made up her mind to adopt Russ. At the end of that day, she went home with him.
Filoon Adopts Russ
But there was one slight problem; Filoon had not informed her housemates that they will be having a newcomer. Luckily, they all fell in love with Russ too, as he was such a delightful dog. His new home was a world’s difference from the rough streets.
Russ took a few days to adjust to his new home, which was very quiet compared to the shelter. He slept a lot the first few days as a result of a bout of kennel cough. He got well quickly enough to start enjoying his new life. There was one tiny thing about him though, he was overly affectionate and couldn’t stop hugging Kayla.
One evening, as Kayla was working on her homework, Russ positioned himself, adorably hugging her and wouldn’t let go despite having his own bed nearby. Kayla’s roommate took several shots of the adorable duo and posted on social media. The post went viral, with thousands of reactions, shares and comments.
Kayla is now using the platform to encourage more people to adopt shelter animals. She still volunteers at ACCT animal shelter. Russ’ condition has significantly improved since, but according to Kayla, he is still such a love bug!
