Miami Artist Honors His Muse With Mural at Miami-Dade Animal Services
- wgclients01
- Apr 12
- 2 min read
Jonathan Ramirez’s vibrant mural depicts a stylized portrait of his beloved shelter dog, Russell, with a call-to-action to “ADOPT.” It is a tribute to the best friend who he nearly gave up on and returned to the shelter years earlier.
"We are incredibly grateful to Jonathan Ramirez for his inspiring mural that beautifully captures the essence of compassion and the joy that comes from adopting a shelter pet,” said Annette Jose, Director, MDAS.
Back in 2019, Ramirez woke up with an inexplicable need to adopt a dog. “No experience, no plan - just the desire to give a dog a chance,” said Ramirez. “I walked into the Miami-Dade shelter and immediately fell in love with a dog who had the most beautiful yellow eyes.”
While it was love at first sight, the reality and responsibility of caring for a dog soon set in. “At first, he drove me crazy. Sleepless nights, endless stress—he made my life feel impossible. But I refused to give up on him,” Ramirez continued.
After finding the right trainer, Russell’s behavior and bond with Ramirez improved. “Little did I know, his purpose was already unfolding,” Ramirez recalled. In his free time between painting, Ramirez began advocating, volunteering, and training other dogs at the shelter to help get them adopted. He also co-founded The Doggie Walk Club for group walks and designed bandanas for adoptable dogs.
His journey with Russell and passion for rescuing shelter dogs culminated in the idea to paint the mural. Ramirez created the larger-than-life portrait to inspire more people in the community to adopt a shelter pet.
“Russell has been the real hero all along - leading me to this moment where I can use my art to help inspire others to take action,” said Ramirez. “Together, we can make a real difference.”
He shared about creating the mural and Rusell’s adoption story on Instagram.
“His journey with Russell exemplifies the transformative power of love and commitment,” said Jose. “This mural not only honors their bond but also serves as a powerful reminder to our community that every shelter dog deserves a chance at a loving home. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and encourage more people to open their hearts to adoption."
Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters, is partnering with MDAS to help them achieve their lifesaving goals. Best Friends’ most recent data shows that nearly 2 out of 3 U.S. shelters are already no-kill, and hundreds more are within reach of that goal. Nearly half of shelters that are not-yet-no-kill are less than 100 pets away from the milestone.
For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
