For Gavin Rossdale, adopting a dog was supposed to be a simple act of compassion, but it ultimately turned his life right-side up.

The Bush frontman first met Kaya at Los Angeles Animal Services’ East Valley Animal Shelter, where the dog had already experienced a traumatic past. Kaya had been hit by a car, suffered a dislocated shoulder and had smashed teeth. Yet when Rossdale saw him sitting in the shelter, he remembers a dog who seemed completely undeterred by everything he had been through.

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“He owned nothing,” Rossdale tells Billboard, “and there he was, sitting in the shelter, looking like he owned the world.”

Now, Kaya travels with Rossdale on the road, spends his days getting plenty of exercise and attention, and has become the catalyst for the rock star’s increasingly vocal advocacy for shelter animals. The pair are now joining the ASPCA’s annual Rescue Effect campaign, which encourages people to adopt or foster animals and highlights how one adoption can create space and resources for other animals in need.

The ASPCA launched the third annual Rescue Effect campaign Aug. 1, with more than 450 shelters and rescues participating nationwide. The organization is providing $2 million in grants to support fee-waived adoption events through the campaign, which runs through Adopt a Shelter Dog Month in October. According to the ASPCA, nearly 6 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues across the U.S. in 2025, with animals — particularly dogs — often spending longer periods waiting to be adopted.

For Rossdale, the campaign sits very close to his heart. “I love animals, I love dogs,” he says. “It’s mesmerizing what animals can do for you.”

Below, watch the new campaign video — soundtracked by “Glycerine,” Bush’s highest-charting song ever on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 28 in 1996 and topping the Alternative Airplay chart.

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Rossdale initially went to East Valley after his son chose Kaya from a photograph. He admits he was nervous about adopting another dog after the family had lost their previous pet roughly nine months earlier. But his son went to meet Kaya, and the connection was almost instantaneous.

“These dogs know that their chance is there,” Rossdale says. “And they take it in all four paws.”

Rossdale ultimately went to the shelter with his son, and the pair brought Kaya home. What followed, he says, was an “incredible learning curve” that transformed him into something of a self-described “dog handler.”

The responsibility has single-handedly become one of the most meaningful parts of his life.

“He’s made me really responsible,” Rossdale says, noting that Kaya needs his time and attention “dark or light, rain or shine.” Caring for the dog has also forced him to look outside of himself, he says, instead of solely spending his time focused on his own needs.

That commitment has followed Rossdale onto the road with Bush. Instead of simply finding the nearest tennis court or fitting Kaya into his existing routine, Rossdale says touring now involves looking for open spaces and parks where the dog can run and spend time outside.

And Kaya, apparently, has adapted to the rock-star lifestyle just fine.

“He’s always moved like a celebrity,” Rossdale says. “He’s got a very regal way of carrying himself.”

That majestic attitude is even more remarkable given Kaya’s beginnings. Rossdale says the dog had been homeless and injured before arriving at the shelter, making his transformation all the more extraordinary and heartwarming.

Lucas Pool/ASPCA

Rossdale has increasingly used his platform to advocate for shelter animals. In November 2025, he returned to East Valley Animal Shelter for a PETA campaign encouraging adoption, and he has also worked with Best Friends Animal Society on efforts highlighting adoptable dogs.

His ASPCA partnership continues that work, but Rossdale says he particularly likes the opportunity to do something that isn’t directly connected to his career.

“Everything that generally I do is just to further my career,” he tells Billboard. “So it’s quite nice to do something where you do something else.”

And he hopes that putting Kaya front and center will make someone else take the next step. “I’d like to be sort of everywhere with pictures of Kaya,” Rossdale says. “If anyone has a half an inkling of adopting,” he hopes the dog can provide the inspiration to follow through.

That, he says, is ultimately what the campaign is about: encouraging people to take action. “Any kind of inspiration for people to follow through and help these animals is the only thing it’s about,” he says.

Rossdale knows that adopting one dog doesn’t solve the shelter crisis. But he also sees the power in what he calls the “rescue effect”: One animal leaving a shelter means another animal can potentially take its place.

“By getting one dog, I mean, it’s only 6 million minus one,” he says. “It’s not like I’m doing the greatest thing. But imagine if everybody did that.”

Meanwhile, Kaya has taken somewhat of an interest in the musician’s career. When asked whether his dog has a favorite Bush song, Rossdale laughs before providing a humorous answer. “It’s probably the one that buys them the most steak,” he says, suggesting the band’s most successful, most-played songs are Kaya’s favorites. Rossdale adopted Kaya for $72, he adds, “But his tab has really been expanded since then.”

It’s a fitting ending to Kaya’s unlikely journey: From an injured shelter dog with little to his name to a touring companion who now gets to live the rock-star life — and, potentially, help other shelter animals get their own second act.

For Rossdale, that is the real reward. “Everything else is second,” he has previously said of his priorities since adopting Kaya.