Ileana is the Senior Editor of Branded Content at Wild Sky Media. She grew up in upstate New York and Oregon and now lives in Queens, NY. Ileana graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in sociology. After graduating, she attended the Columbia Publishing Course in New York City, then worked as in marketing at Oxford University Press. Since transitioning to editorial, she has written for BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Woman's World. She has also worked for local newspapers and magazines in upstate New York. In her free time, you can find Ileana watching Law & Order: SVU, eating ice cream, and spending time with her dog.

I adopted a cute little shelter dog last summer, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Bringing home a shelter dog can be very challenging, but it is so rewarding, as these owners know.


Most dogs who end up in shelters have had difficult lives beforehand: they usually faced hard circumstances and didn’t get as much love as they deserved.

While the transition time can be hard, once your new pup gets used to you, they can’t help but show you how happy they are to be in their forever home.

One woman, 20-year-old Kayla Filoon, spent a lot of time at her local animal shelter. The college student volunteered as a dog walker in Philadelphia, so she was used to seeing adorable and sweet dogs.


One day, Kayla saw Russ, a pit bull with patchy fur, and she fell completely in love.

Now, a very special photo that captures the beauty of adoption is going viral — and it’s no wonder why.

[H/T: The Dodo]