Being loved by three adopted street dogs…what could be better!
Pet adoption awareness and shelter pets just got a big boost! I’m so excited to report that, for the first time ever, NBC Universal has gotten into the adoption initiative arena. On Saturday, August 15, 28 local NBC and Telemundo television stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as regional news network necn, are collaborating with over 300 animal shelters around the country in one big demonstration of love and support for the shelter pet. The goal? Finding forever homes for thousands of the homeless. Participating shelters are offering the incentive of either reduced fee or no-cost adoptions, or will waive pet spaying and neutering fees.
The initiative is appropriately called Clear the Shelters (Desocupar los Albergues, in Spanish), and is sponsored by Overstock.com. On this day, the public will be encouraged to visit local, participating animal shelters and adopt a pet at this reduced fee. The type of fees waived varies from shelter to shelter, so it’s best to call or visit yours for more details and information.
Loving and being loved by a shelter dog
There is special programming planned leading up to, on the day of and after the drive, including educational information on topical issues like shelter overpopulation, the dangers of euthanasia and more. And, local affiliates (11 NBC-owned stations, 17 Telemundo-owned stations) have their own programming planned. For example, in Los Angeles, NBC4 Southern California is raising awareness about Clear the Shelters during its weekly on-air pet adoption segment by airing stories that focus on pet adoption topics. The station is also urging the public to post pet photos online and to come out and volunteer on the day of the event.
NBC10 Philadelphia is airing “Dog Day Saturday” segments on the station’s local newscasts. The segments feature adoptable dogs in the local area. This segment also raises awareness about all the local efforts that are being planned for Clear the Shelters day in that market.
Local station anchors and reporters will be participating in their community drives, speaking with families and children as they arrive at local animal shelters to find their new best friends. Various stations will also report live from the adoption drives and even provide a live stream, so viewers can be a part of the action, even if they are on-the-go. Stations will also be involving the community via their sites and social media.
You can find out which markets/stations are involved, and what’s happening on participating stations, as well as the shelters involved by visiting www.ClearTheShelters.com. This interactive website drives users to their local station websites, so they can access a “Find Your Shelter” locator map. The map will include the names of all the participating shelters (based on zip codes). Please pay extra special attention to the municipal shelters participating in your areas, as they generally are the kill shelters and when you adopt from them, you are literally saving a life.
Telemundo viewers can get details of the drive at www.DesocuparLosAlbergues.com, or download their local Telemundo station’s mobile apps to get more information.
Our story
Jasper as we first saw him, in his cage at Animal Care & Control, NYC
As many of you already know, we adopted our second dog, Jasper, from Animal Care & Control in NYC a little over a year ago. We truly believe, based on the circumstances of how Jasper came into our lives, that the universe brought us together for a purpose. We didn’t go to the shelter that day for him; we were there for another dog. It can’t be by chance that he strolled in from a walk at exactly the time we were standing there, waiting to be helped, nor that, despite our dog at home, Sophie, not choosing her brother as was planned, they got along so famously from the get go, like they were meant to be together.
Jasper today
Jasper has blossomed from a very scared and fear aggressive dog, into an incredibly loving, much calmer dog, sometimes more so than Sophie. Just as he was drowning me in kisses today as I wrote this story, I once again thanked our lucky stars that we were brought together. He’s already given us so much joy, and is a wonderful brother and companion for Soph.
Ours is not a unique story. There are many thousands of families who’ve rescued a pet that has added a tremendous richness to their lives. I do believe a rescue animal knows they were saved by you, and more often than not, show their gratitude on a daily basis. I know our Jasper does. He’ll often just look deeply into my eyes and then give me the most heartfelt kisses, it almost brings me to tears.
There’s A Post-Adoption Special!
On Saturday, August 22nd, a 30-minute post-adoption drive special will air, recapping the previous week’s national day of action highlights. TODAY Show co-host and News Anchor, Natalie Morales, will host, and more than 100 NBC affiliate stations will air it. Elva Saray, the Host of Telemundo 52 Los Angeles’ (KVEA) daily entertainment show, Acceso Total, and Jessica Carrillo, Host and Reporter for Telemundo’s Al Rojo Vivo, will co-host the Telemundo August 22nd post adoption drive special.
You never know what surprises await during the specials or who will show up, so don’t miss!
How did Clear the Shelters come about?
NBCUniversal, Telemundo and Overstock.com, like many big corporations and smaller companies alike, are filled with animal lovers. NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations President, Valari Staab, has two dogs, Cotton and Zach. Natalie Morales adopted her pup, Zara, from a shelter. And we know the list goes on and on of celebrities who’ve rescued their pets, and made Adopt Don’t Shop the most stylish and coolest thing you can do.
“Animals have always been an important part of my life,” shared Staab. “I know well the great contribution their love makes to a family. I’m proud that our stations are working with hundreds of local animal shelters to help save the lives of thousands of deserving animals across the country. I encourage everyone to join us in this national day of action to help ‘Clear the Shelters’ and give thousands of homeless animals the chance of a new life.”
Last year in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, NBCUniversal-owned stations NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth / KXAS and Telemundo 39 Dallas-Fort Worth / KXTX did an experiment that came straight from the heart when they partnered together, collaborating with dozens of North Texas animal shelters for the first Clear the Shelters. It was a resounding success, with over 2,200 homeless animals adopted,the most ever adopted in one day in North Texas!
Partner Overstock.com is no stranger to championing pet adoption. “For years, Overstock has been vocal about our belief that every pet deserves a home where they can be loved. We were honored when NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations approached us to partner on their Clear the Shelters initiative after seeing the work we have done with our own pet adoptions program. Hopefully, this event will find loving homes for even more pets across the nation,” said Overstock.com President, Stormy Simon.
How Can You Follow the Action?
NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ News Anchors and Reporters are joining in the spirit of the initiative and are sharing their own pet selfies online. Follow #ClearTheShelters and #DesocuparAlbergues on Twitter to catch the adorable pet photos!
For Overstock.com shoppers, Clear the Shelters is being featured in the left mod of their homepage as “A Ground-Breaking Pet Adoption Event” and the mod leads to a static page that includes basic information on the event, their commercials that are being aired nationally on TV, their own pet adoption page, and then pet supplies that are needed after someone gets their new pet, so new adopters, start shopping! 🙂
We can all make a huge difference in the lives of those animals waiting in shelters for a home of their own by sharing. Please share this post, share your own posts, tweets, grams and let’s be the voice for these wonderful animals!
Do you have a shelter pet story you’d like to share? Are you looking to add to your fur family?
