Gavin Rossdale turns up the volume on pet adoption

As a musician in the rock band Bush, Gavin Rossdale has played for crowds all over the world. But these days, one of his favorite audiences has four legs, a wagging tail, and a serious fetch obsession. His beloved adopted dog, Kaya — a Belgian Malinois-husky mix with boundless energy and a big personality — has become the center of Gavin’s world.

“Everything else is second,” Gavin says with a laugh. “It’s dog first, then Bush, then a bit of my cooking show. I’m basically full time to look after my dog.”

That deep love for animals is what inspired Gavin to team up with Best Friends Animal Society for 12 Days of Dogmas, a celebration of adoptable dogs from Best Friends Pet Adoption Centers across the country. Gavin joined adoptable dogs for a photoshoot, and during December he’s helping to shine a spotlight on them across his social media channels.

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Collaborations like this that encourage pet adoption are one of the ways Best Friends is working toward the goal of bringing all shelters across the country to no-kill.

“It’s such an honor for me,” he says. “I would have taken any of the dogs we photographed. They were all so cute. All different types for all different kinds of people.”

Gavin adopted Kaya from Los Angeles Animal Services’ East Valley shelter earlier this year, and the two have been inseparable ever since.

“He’s very much a boy,” Gavin says, smiling as he recounts Kaya’s antics. “My son chose the most not-easy dog. He takes a lot of work.” But that work has led to breakthroughs — the small but mighty victories every dog lover understands.

Recently, Kaya surprised Gavin by calmly befriending a dog at the park. “It was such a big moment,” he says. “It makes you so proud.”

Between long walks, training sessions, and playing ball during Gavin’s tennis practice, he says Kaya racks up 20,000 steps a day. And despite Gavin’s touring schedule, he’s committed to building a life that revolves around giving Kaya what he needs. “It gives your life meaning to be that altruistic,” he says. “It makes you a better person.”

Gavin’s passion for adopting dogs stretches back decades to his first dog, Winston, whom he credits with helping him straighten out his life and even influencing the early days of Bush.

“I wanted to be Jim Morrison, never come home for four days,” he says. “Winston changed that. He made me responsible. He made me better. And then I began Bush.”

His belief in pet adoption has only deepened since then.

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“The most magical thing about adopting is that the dogs choose you,” Gavin says. “Your karmic score just flies through the roof. Dogs bring so much unconditional love into your life that it elevates you. It’s transcendent.”

It’s that belief, and the joy dogs bring, that inspired him to highlight adoptable pets from Best Friends. Whether he’s cuddling a pup, posing with a senior sweetheart, or meeting an energetic terrier mix ready to “trip the light fantastic” (i.e., dance) into a new life, Gavin hopes people will see what he sees: resilience, sweetness, hope, and endless potential.

Leave it to the frontman of Bush to raise awareness with equal parts soul and humor. He says that if someone adopts one of the dogs he’s featuring on his social media, he’s available for celebratory walks — “though it might not work in your favor if you don’t like my music,” he jokes.

But at the core is genuine care and a belief that adopting a dog can be life-changing for everyone involved.

“Come on, be a better person,” Gavin says. “Rescue a dog.”

With a message like that, it’s hard not to feel upbeat. And for the dogs featured in this collaboration, and the people who fall in love with them, it just might be the perfect soundtrack to a brand-new beginning.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.