Imagine one day to empty U.S. animal shelters of all their animals because they’re adopted into great homes. Imagine. That’s the goal of the annual Clear the Shelters day. In it’s third year, the NBC and Telemundo-owned stations popular nationwide adoption campaign  is back on Saturday, August 19. And, they’re counting on us to help. So, whether you’re looking to add a furry family member or know someone who is; can share on your social media or can talk it up with your network of friends, Clear the Shelters is the time to focus on getting shelter pets a good home.

My fave local shelter is participating again this year. Abandoned Pet Rescue, Fort Lauderdale’s No Kill Shelter, has about 200 cats that need homes. 200! I’m going to be sharing that on my social. They have dogs, too, and anyone locally who is looking to adopt a dog, please come by the shelter, as well. But, kitties are traditionally harder to place and there’s just so many more of them.

Here’s what’s extra special about Clear the Shelters:

• hundreds of animal shelters across the country offer low cost or completely waived adoption fees that day, to help families find and adopt a pet
• while we need to focus on getting homeless animals out of shelters and into good homes everyday, it’s one day where, as a nation, we do focus on this and there’s great power in those numbers
• case in point: since 2015, when it began, Clear the Shelters‘ stations and rescue/shelter partners have resulted in the adoption of over 70,000 homeless pets. Wow!

How does it work?

The Moore Family

Clear the Shelters is a nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal, that includes 30 NBC and Telemundo-owned stations, and hundreds of animal shelters.  For those not familiar, here’s how it works.

On this day, participating NBC and Telemundo stations run special programming encouraging their communities to adopt from their local shelters and to help raise awareness, both leading up to and on the day of Clear the Shelters, about the cause. Crews will be reporting from their local, participating shelters throughout the day, so you get to see families and hear their stories of finding their perfect pets and animals leaving the shelters going to their new homes.

The campaign has its own site, and you can upload an image of yourself with your pet or pets using the hashtags #LoveMyPet and #ClearTheShelters to join in the national fun and spread the word.

You don’t need to have an adopted animal to participate.  You can simply smile, snap a photo with your favorite furry or non-furry friend, list your reasons for loving your pet, and upload your post and photo to your social media channels.

But, if you do choose to adopt, Petco is a national sponsor again this year, and Petco partners will be present at some participating animal welfare organizations to answer questions from potential pet adopters and their families. Petco will also be distributing “Welcome to the Family” packets containing information for new pet parents along with coupons for pet supplies.

“With more than 50 years in the pet specialty business, Petco understands and celebrates the importance of the incredible bond between pets and pet parents,” said Charlie Piscitello, chief people officer at Petco. “Clear the Shelters allows us to extend our year-long animal adoption efforts and offers our immensely passionate store partners the ability to help even more families start out with the tools and knowledge they need to make their relationship with their new pet as rewarding as possible.”

VIP Pet Care is also returning as a national sponsor this year. They have a network of community clinics around the country that provide a range of services to keep pets healthy,  administered by licensed onsite veterinarians.

“VIP Petcare’s continued support of the NBC and Telemundo owned stations’ Clear the Shelterspet adoption campaign will ensure that our stations and partner shelters deliver a memorable event for communities and pet adopters all across the country,” said Bruce Kallner, Senior Vice President of Strategic Sales and Marketing, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. “We’re excited to work with a partner that values the importance of quality pet care and wellness and look forward to another successful Clear the Shelters day.”

The NBC owned station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area is NBC 6/WTVJ. APR’s own Larry Wallenstein went on air with adoptable kittens to talk up our “Caturday Saturday!” Clear the Shelters initiative. We’ll be watching NBC 6 for coverage of our local shelters and community members who’ll be adding a new furry member to the family.

How did this all start?

A North Texas pet adoption effort was picked up by NBC’s Dallas affiliate, KXAS and its Telemundo affiliate, KXTX. They did such a good job of creating a buzz, that word spread up the corporate ladder and in 2015, the first Clear the Shelters was born.

We covered it here on Bark & Swagger and you can see how much this has grown by checking out the very first story here.

Personal Stories

We all love happy ending stories about homeless animals that’ve found their furevers. Here are a couple inspired by last year’s Clear the Shelters.

Last summer, “Rose” a husky with a neurological syndrome who traveled from Turkey to a shelter in Briarcliff Manor, New York found a new home while “Tootsie,” a senior Shih-Tzu with one eye was adopted by a family from Chicago, Illinois.

Valari Staab with Jack

This one is from Valari Staab, President of NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, who walks the walk of Clear the Shelters, too!  “I share my home and my life with a shelter dog.  Jack, a two-year old Shih-Tzu and Jack Russell Terrier mix that my husband and I rescued through the Animal Lighthouse Rescue was a street dog in Puerto Rico. Jack is a great dog with a lot of love. We rescued Jack the day after we lost our 17 year-old dog, Zach. He helped heal us from that loss. He is funny, sweet and loves his new life. We couldn’t be happier with him.”

Coach

I saw Coach while researching this story and thought, Oh Lordy, I can’t NOT adopt this dog. What a face! I had to take him home! Was it a good idea for me to add a 5th dog to our family? Nooo. Four is challenging enough and I’ve made my peace with knowing I can’t really take on anymore. But, that didn’t stop me from finding out where his shelter was located (Tampa/St. Pete, not too far from Fort Lauderdale), going onto their website and looking for him. I was actually getting excited, knowing all the while that this was a crazy move! Thank goodness (for both of us), Coach was adopted. ♥

For more information about Clear the Shelters and to access a list of shelters that will participate in Clear the Shelters events on August 19, please visit ClearTheShelters.com. If you’d like to access the information in Spanish, please visit DesocuparLosAlbergues.com.

Now, let’s get the Clear the Shelters message shared across all of your social networks, spread the word about Adopt Don’t Shop and be the difference for thousands of homeless animals this year!

Scroll down for a super cute special Clear the Shelters video!

***  “Save the Date for Clear the Shelters” video 

photo courtesy of OldMotherHubbard.com

On Saturday, July 23, more than 40 local NBC and Telemundo television stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, up from 28 last year, as well as regional news network necn, will join forces with hundreds of animal shelters around the country for Clear the Shelters, a nationwide day of activism in support of shelter pets. What’s the goal? Finding forever homes for thousands of homeless animals. Participating shelters are sweetening the deal by offering either reduced fee or no-cost adoptions, or will waive pet spaying and neutering fees. Last year, Clear the Shelters helped to adopt over 20,000 animals; this year, they’ll be more.

This year, my favorite local shelter will be one of them. Abandoned Pet Rescue, South Florida’s largest no kill, cares for over 300 dogs and cats. I like to call them the little engine that could, because they do so much with so little. For this story, all of the photos you’ll see feature Abandoned Pet Rescue adoptables.

“Clear the Shelters took the nation by storm last year and inspired thousands of families to open their hearts to animals in need. I’m very excited that our stations are working with hundreds of local animal shelters once again to help save the lives of thousands of deserving animals,” said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. “Having recently adopted a Puerto Rican rescue dog, I know well how a pet’s love can impact a family. Help us ‘Clear the Shelters’ and let’s make change happen once again to give deserving pets a chance at a new life.” Amen, Valeri!

Ashton

Natalie Morales, TODAY show West Coast Anchor and soon-to-be host of Access Hollywood and Access Hollywood Live, will again host a Post-Adoption Drive Special on NBC stations, with Telemundo’s Stephanie Himonidis “Chiquibaby” and Elva Saray to host a special on the Telemundo stations. The NBC Owned stations and the Telemundo drives will both air on Friday, July 29 (check your local listings for times).

Bubba

Participating stations will feature special shows and programming that will air on local stations before and after the pet adoption drive (check your local listings for what’s happening in your area). Also, keep an eye out on social media for the hashtag #ClearTheShelters, so you can participate in spreading the word about this great event.

Adoptables from APR

Nuba

Abandoned Pet Rescue, like most shelters, has a wide variety of wonderful pets. Nuba is a great girl we’re all rallying around. She’s a beautiful burnished red Pitbull mix, who loves people and kids, but not other dogs, as she’s an alpha girl. She came to APR from a high kill facility, when her time was up. She had four adorable puppies in tow. APR took them all. She’s an energetic, loving girl, who has been at APR for a few years. This dog deserves a loving home. Come visit her!

Jeanie

Jeanie was rescued with other Cocker Spaniels from a house fire. She is a special needs dog, as Jeanie is completely blind. Silvie Bordeaux, Jeanie could use a Muffin’s Halo! 🙂 Are you someone who opens their arms to special needs pets?

Guiness is an adorable Shih Tzu/Maltese mix, who was surrendered by his owners when they ran into financial issues. He is about 6 or 7 years old. He loves children, but is nervous around strangers, so someone with patience and an experienced dog parent is best.

Guiness

If it’s the kitties you adore, APR is a great place to look. There’s the gorgeous snow white, Ashton (see photo above), a super friendly cat with green eyes who, along with his two sisters, has been at the shelter for several years. Why? This guy is a total looker!

Bubba (see photo above), a handsome tabby, was dumped on the shelter’s doorstep. He’s so frightened and bewildered as to what he did to go from a home where he was obviously well cared for to a shelter. Will you ease his mind and take him into your home?

Or the endlessly entertaining Chit Chat, a talkative girl who isn’t shy about making herself heard. She’s about 5-7 years old and gets along well with kids and other cats.

Chit Chat

Whether it’s Abandoned Pet Rescue or a shelter near you, make the trip and fall in love.

Celebrity support

Last year, the celebs came out to support, including Ellen DeGeneres; Steve Harvey; extra’s Mario Lopez; NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt; Bravo’s Andy Cohen; actress Sarah Michelle Gellar and singer/songwriter Rob Thomas, by posting selfies with their favorite pets on social media.

Already, Lopez has hit the Twitter-sphere, posting an adorable pic of him and his baby, Julio Cesar Chavez Lopez, a mouthful of a name for a little Frenchie.

Mario Lopez and Julio Cesar Chavez Lopez
photo courtesy of @extratv

For more information about the national pet adoption drive, visit www.ClearTheShelters.com. Remember, you can also follow the events on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by using the hashtag #ClearTheShelters. Additionally, Clear the Shelters themed Snapchat filters will be activated on July 23 for pet adopters and supporters to enjoy as they document their day.

And, don’t forget to visit Abandoned Pet Rescue on Facebook and Instagram and, if you’re in the Fort Lauderdale area, come in and find the love of your life.

Did you adopt or know anyone who did on Clear the Shelters day last year? 

What would you say if you could be a part of helping 20,000 animals languishing in shelters find forever homes all in one day? I’d say, I’m in! And, that’s exactly what happened when Clear the Shelters, the NBC and Telemundo initiative with over 400 shelters, launched their much-publicized adoption drive last Saturday, August 15, nationwide.

This first-of-its-kind initiative literally emptied dozens of animal shelters around the country, when community members came out in droves to add a furry friend to the family. One family from Indiana was even reunited with their pitbull, Joe Cool, aka “Chief,” after he ran away from home, by visiting their local shelter on that day. The adoption drive was so successful, a Clear the Shelters date of Saturday, July 16, 2016, has already been set for next year.

Joe Cool, aka Chief, reunited at last
Photo credit: Humane Society of the Calumet Area

“I am so happy with the huge success of Clear the Shelters. Our NBC and Telemundo stations, and our 400 partnering animal shelters across the country, with the help of the ASPCA and our friends at Overstock.com, found almost 20,000 thousand animals homes. We are grateful to everyone who opened their homes and added to their families on this national day of action,” said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. “Clear the Shelters is an example of how, together, we can save animal lives and make a difference in our communities.”

Channing Tatum
photo courtesy of the Humane Society of Calvert County

Heartwarming adoptions

The Clear the Shelters initiative was spearheaded by 29 NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations (11 NBC-owned stations, 17 Telemundo-owned stations and the regional news network necn) and more than 400 animal shelters across the country, with a goal of finding new homes for thousands of homeless pets. While the vast majority of the nearly 20,000 animals adopted on Clear the Shelters day were cats and dogs, other pets like rabbits, hamsters, hedgehogs, turtles, ferrets, monkeys, donkeys, lizards, cows and pigs also found new homes.

Linda with her new adoptive parents, Kellie & Joe Pardo.
Photo courtesy of the Upper Keys Humane Society

At the Humane Society of Calvert County in Maryland, a pot-bellied pig named “Channing Tatum” was adopted as part of Clear the Shelters, as was “Linda,” a 12-year-old poodle mix, who had spent six years at the Upper Keys Humane Society in South Florida, now adopted by Kellie and Joe Pardo, of Key Largo.

At the SPCA of Texas in Dallas, a five-year-old boxer who had lived a life of abuse and had been used for breeding was finally adopted by a family from Mesquite, after being passed over numerous times. In Oyster Bay, New York a two-month-old kitten named “June” was adopted and taken home early in the day.

Pittie Hannah, dressed up in a pink tutu by the Humane Society of Calvert Country in Maryland, left with her forever family, Amanda Krutilla, her 20-month-old son, Jax and her fiance, Jason Bowles. Hannah is Krutilla’s second pit bull. “They’re just the biggest babies,” said Krutilla, of California, Maryland. “Her tutu defines her.” [courtesy of NBCDFW.com & nbcwashington]

Hannah with Amanda Krutilla & Jax.
Photo courtesy of Humane Society of Calvert County

Clear the Shelters was sponsored nationally by Overstock.com, another animal-loving company. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) did the amazing thing of  granting a total of $134,000 to 16 animal shelters that participated in the Clear the Shelters initiative, to help them offer no-cost or reduced fee adoptions or waive pet spaying and neutering fees.

With so many people inspired by the initiative, Clear the Shelters content was shared A LOT,  receiving over four million page views, across several station platforms, from mid-July 2015 through August 15, including more than one million on the actual Clear the Shelters day!

Here’s what just one shelter, the San Diego Humane Society, looked like on Clear the Shelters day:

Celebrities got involved…

Various celebrities and news personalities also joined in the social media effort, including talk show hosts, Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Harvey and Meredith Vieira; extra’s Mario Lopez; Bravo’s Andy Cohen; former Hills star and 1st Look host Audrina Patridge; Talk Stoop host Cat Greenleaf; George To The Rescue’s George Oliphant; singer and songwriter Rob Thomas; actors Tommy Flanagan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Stacey Travis, Adam Savage, Jessica Szohr, Zac Posen and Regina Hall, among others.

You can watch the highlights

You can see highlights of Clear the Shelters when it is recapped on the NBC Owned Stations plus more than 100 NBC affiliate stations, in a 30-minute post-adoption drive special on Saturday, August 22nd, hosted by Natalie Morales, News Anchor and Co-Host of NBC News’ TODAY. The Telemundo stations will also air a post-adoption drive show on the same day, with Elva Saray, Host of Telemundo 52 Los Angeles’ (KVEA) daily entertainment show, Acceso Total, serving as Co-Host alongside Jessica Carrillo, Host and Reporter for Telemundo network’s Al Rojo Vivo.

For more information about the national pet adoption drive, visit www.ClearTheShelters.com. You can also follow the effort on Twitter by using the hashtag #ClearTheShelters.

Did you adopt on Clear the Shelters day? What’s your story?

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?