Workers from Rome’s public transport company ATAC have launched an adoption appeal after a dog was found abandoned on a city bus.The little dog was discovered by bus drivers, cowering between the seats on the 500 bus in the Tor Vergata depot in the city suburbs, on the night of 21 November.
The drivers, alerted by the animal’s whining, found the dog “visibly sad” after being abandoned by “unknown persons”, according to La Repubblica.

Moved by their unexpected discovery, the bus drivers immediately comforted the dog, giving it food and water, before taking it to the city’s dog shelter at Muratella where it was assessed by veterinarians and minded by specialist volunteers.The big-hearted ATAC drivers, who in the meantime christened the little dog Filippo, are keen to see the animal adopted by a loving family and have launched an adoption appeal under the hashtag #AdottaFilippo.

Anyone wishing to adopt Filippo can contact the kennels at Muratella by email: canilerifugio.muratella@gmail.com or tel. 0698875859. The registration number assigned to the dog by the kennel is 2019/2556.