Woman Adopts Dog on Kill-List Hours After Signing Up as Shelter Volunteer

Would you be able to volunteer at an animal shelter and still leave empty-handed? Katherine Ellis thought it was possible, but as it turns out, there’s only one option to working with so many dogs, and it’s to bring them home.

Ellis wanted to do a good deed by offering her time at the local Humane Society, and she told Newsweek that she “had no intentions” of adopting a new pet. But as soon as she saw the countless animals in need of a loving home, the idea of leaving them there became far more challenging.

While Ellis would have loved to help every single dog in there, it was clear she’d met her new best friend when she came across 1-year-old Rookie.

“We wanted to go in to just meet everyone and see the facility, but when we saw Rookie, we just couldn’t leave without him. He’s the absolute sweetest dog who just wants to be friends with every person and puppy that he sees. He’s already started making friends at the dog park too,” Ellis said.

“He’s genuinely the most loving puppy, and you can tell that he is so appreciative. He’s already had his first pup cup and he’s now gained a pound from his first week with us—probably because he’s had so many treats.”

An estimated 3.1 million dogs wind up in shelters across the United States every year, according to figures from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Fortunately, a majority of Americans (61 percent) say they would prefer to rescue a pet from a shelter, as opposed to the 17 percent who would choose to go to a breeder. The YouGov poll also revealed that adopting from a shelter was most popular with older generations, whereas younger people were more in favor of getting their four-legged friend from a breeder.

After deciding to adopt Rookie, who is thought to be a Labrador and Australian shepherd mix, Ellis discovered that he was originally a stray before spending a week in a kill shelter. He was eventually taken to the Humane Society. As she looks back on what could have been, Ellis is so thankful that she was able to change this dog’s life for good.

“I cry tears of joy every time I think about saving him. He makes us so happy and brings so much love into our home, I can’t imagine life without him now. Now, I can’t believe I even considered getting a dog from a breeder, especially knowing how sweet Rookie is and that he was potentially going to be put down at one point,” Ellis said.

Sharing the Adoption Story Online

Ellie shared the story of how she came to adopt Rookie on her TikTok account (@itskatellis), calling it “the day that changed our lives forever.” Since the clip was posted on February 23, it has already been viewed more than 5.9 million times and gained over 937,500 likes.

In the adorable video, she showed the wonderful moment she met her new pup and got to walk him out of the shelter. She’s been delighted by the positive response to Rookie’s story, and she hopes it will encourage others to consider rescuing too.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the response from people who have seen his story,” she told Newsweek. “I shared it hoping to inspire people to consider adopting if they are able, and so many people have shared their incredible stories of adopting or telling me that it’s inspired them to adopt a dog instead of buying from a breeder, which is the greatest thing in the world. We don’t need to make new dogs in this world when countless are already here and homeless.”

Since Rookie’s adoption story went viral on TikTok, Ellis has been inundated with more than 8,500 comments from people who praised her for saving his life.

One TikTok user wrote: “Sometimes you don’t end up with the dog you want, but you always end up with the dog you need.”

Another person responded: “I’m an employee at a no kill shelter in Michigan and I can’t thank you enough for giving this angel his furever home.”

While another comment reads: “Buckle up! Your lives are about to change in the most magical, beautiful ways possible.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.