Clear the Shelters Creates 475 New Beginnings

When the NBCUniversal’s Clear the Shelters promotion wrapped up on August 31, we were thrilled - 475 pets left Dakin in the month of August to go home with loving families. And the timing couldn’t have been better.

Summer is the busiest season for animal shelters. With warm weather comes a surge in animal populations, and we work tirelessly to connect adopters with pets of all kinds—from newborn kittens to senior dogs, small pets with medical needs, and everything in between.

Mother Nature plays her part, too. Dogs and cats experience increased breeding cycles during summer, which means more litters arriving at Dakin. Some are tiny kittens found outdoors without their mothers, while others are pets surrendered by families who couldn’t meet the challenges involved in caring for – and finding adopters – for litters.

Thankfully, Clear the Shelters—an adoption campaign launched by NBCUniversal 11 years ago - helps shelters across the country during this challenging season. Each August, the initiative encourages adoption by partnering with shelters and rescue groups and amplifying their adoption promotions by creating network broadcast and social media content. This year, from August 19–30, Dakin cut adoption fees in half, drawing hundreds of visitors eager to meet their match.

Pulling off an event of this scale takes heart, planning, and teamwork. We’re deeply grateful to every adopter who opened their home, to our fosters, volunteers and greeters who kept everything running smoothly, to our medical teams who monitored the health of so many pets, and to our staff who guided each adoption with care. Special thanks also to 22 News – CW Springfield for helping us shine a light on the wonderful pets waiting for homes.

Dakin staff and volunteers celebrate the conclusion of a successful Clear the Shelters event