It was just a regular Wednesday when Kayla Filoon went to Philadelphia’s municipal animal shelter to walk the dogs. There, the student at Temple University spotted a Pit Bull that had come in as a stray. This pup, named Russ, was suffering from kennel cough, a bleeding tail, an eye infection, itchy skin and was underweight. Still, Filoon really liked this friendly dog. She told TODAY in an email, that he was watching her “as if he knew I was going to be his mommy one day.”
Filoon was smitten. She told her mother about Russ and even her friends. She brought him out to the shelter’s yard to play and walk around a little. He walked well on leash and gently took treats from her hand. Further, little Russ just couldn’t get enough snuggling. So the next day, Filoon went back to the shelter to take Russ out for a little day trip.
They went for a drive and bought some special snacks at a local Chick-fil-A. He ate them on her lap while they listened to the radio. Hearing the song, “A Sky Full of Stars,” with the lyrics, “Cause you’re a sky full of stars, I’m gonna give you my heart,” Filoon knew that the two of them were meant to be together. She drove them back to the shelter and filled out an adoption application for Russ.
That was a few weeks ago and the two have been inseparable since. Filoon was recently doing some homework when Russ came up to cuddle. A friend snapped the photo that has since gone viral, showing both Russ’s gratitude for his new mom and proving that shelter dogs just need families to love them. Thankfully, Russ has recovered from his infections and gets a lot of medicated baths for his itchy skin. “He has not even been with me for two weeks yet, however the bond that we have is incredible,” said Filoon. “He does not leave my side.” He sleeps in the bed, visits the college campus and has even gone on trips. It seems like a match made in Heaven.
You can view pets in urgent need of adoption here: Philly Urgents Page
