More Than 88,000 Pets Adopted During the Annual Clear the Shelters Campaign

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For a fourth year in a row, NBC and Telemundo Stations’ Clear the Shelters nationwide pet adoption campaign helped thousands of families find and adopt a new pet. The stations’ 2018 Clear the Shelters pet adoption initiative resulted in the adoption of more than 88,000 pets in the month of August 2018. The campaign culminated on “Clear the Shelters Day,” Saturday, August 18, and included the participation of more than 1,200 animal shelters and rescues and over 100 NBC and Telemundo stations located in more than 70 cities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Clear the Shelters is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal. The fourth annual Clear the Shelters campaign was sponsored nationally by Cat’s Pride and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

“Congratulations to all the new pet parents who adopted a pet through our Clear the Shelters campaign. Our 2018 campaign was a great success,” said Valari Staab, president of NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. “We couldn’t have inspired thousands of families to open their hearts and homes to shelter pets without the support of our partner shelters, affiliate stations, sponsors Cat’s Pride and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, and our Comcast NBCUniversal family, including our sister networks and all the celebrities who helped us amplify our message of pet adoption and animal welfare issues through their social platforms. Together, we helped thousands of families find their perfect pet and helped pets finally get a new home to call their own. We look forward for to the return of Clear the Shelters in 2019.”

Clear the Shelters was initiated in 2014 in the Dallas-Fort Worth market as a partnership between NBC and Telemundo stations in the market (KXAS and KXTX) and dozens of north Texas animal shelters. The effort resulted in the adoption of more than 2,200 homeless animals, the most adopted in one day in north Texas.

“Thank you to all the families who opened their hearts to a new pet this year during NBC and Telemundo Stations’ Clear the Shelters campaign. We are so grateful to the stations for continuing to give their time and talent to help homeless pets find loving homes. This exceptional, collaborative effort saved thousands of pet lives, and underscores the heights we can reach when we all work together,” said Corey Price, animal services manager, City of Irving. “Watching the animals leave the shelter with their new families was really emotional for those of us who work with them every day. We just can’t say ‘thank you’ enough.”

Dogs rescued from Puerto Rico after hurricanes Maria and Irma impacted the island found new homes through the stations’ 2018 Clear the Shelters campaign. In Maine, a 13-year old “sato” feral dog named “June Bug” found a new home while in the San Francisco Bay Area “Holly” was adopted by a couple. In New Jersey, 11-year-old “Molly” the cat was adopted by a woman who sought a companion after losing a pet. In Arlington, a local shelter cleared out all of its dog kennels and helped 17 cats, four guinea pigs, two rabbits and a gerbil find new homes.

The stations’ social media campaign reached more than 16.5 million users across multiple platforms and focused on raising awareness about Clear the Shelters Day.

Numerous celebrities and personalities participated in the stations’ social media campaign as well, including Jane Lynch, Ellen DeGeneres, Mario Lopez and many more.

Audiences can tune in to NBC and Telemundo stations beginning Friday, August 24, to watch a “Clear the Shelters” special that will feature celebrities and their pets and recaps of this year’s pet adoption campaign. Lynch will host the “Clear the Shelters” 30-minute post-adoption drive special that will air on NBC stations. Telemundo stations will air a post-adoption drive special hosted by Stephanie Himonidis “Chiquibaby” and Elva Saray of Telemundo 52 Los Angeles / KVEA.

See pictures of some of the pets that were adopted.