It’s National Clear the Shelters Day and that means wonderful things fur you and our furry furiends that are stuck living in shelters! Today, and this weekend, NBC & Telemundo news media & PetCo are teaming up with local animal shelters across the country with a huge goal in mind – to clear every single last adoptable animal out of the shelters!! It’s the biggest animal adoption initiative in one day ever!
What does this mean fur you, the hoomans? Many shelters are able to offer fee-waived (free) or fee-reduced adoptions to you when adopting a new cat or dog. This means you can saves some bones to get new toys or treats fur your newest family member. It’s like getting a toy at Christmas that needs batteries – you wouldn’t forgets those. So go meet your new bestest furiend, and use those saved bones to get some natural treats and chew toys. If you’re fortunate enuff to not worry about bones, maybe you can pass your saved bones to help another furry furiend finds it’s new home – many shelters call these angel adopters – and you still WIN! You gets a new furfamily member, AND you gets to know you helped another hooman AND another dog or cat find a furever home.
How about the animals?? Well, I don’t really think I needs to answer this question, cause I think we ALL know what it means! At least us furry and scaley ones do. It means that every animal that finds a new furever home gets to break free from jail! It’s a get out of puppy prison for free pass! It’s an escape from pergatory card! It means a new leash on life! It means furever wuv, food, cuddles, and playtime. It means FREEDOM!!!!
And what’s in it fur the shelters? It’s certainly not a money thing, cause it costs alot to take care of an animal in a shelter, even the shelters where animals only get minimal treatment. Reduced or free adoptions certainly don’t help a shelter cover their bones. Media sponsorships can help, but it’s often in publicity trade versus bones (dollars). BUT, what it does do is several good things! By working with local media, more awareness is brought to the shelters – this way hoomans know where they are located, can offer volunteer time, donate, and hopefully adopt! It also creates space. Much needed space. You see, the animal shelters across the country, even the bestest and the worstest, are ALWAYS full. And if they are full, that means many animals are turned away and left on the streets. For high kill shelters, it means precious puppies, kuddly kitties, pawsome pitbulls, and many more are euthanized. Of course the first to hit that list are the old, the sick, and the pitbulls. For no kill shelters, it means they turn away animals and put them on a wait list, which can then lead to hunger and abuse. So…when dogs and cats are adopted from a shelter, and if a shelter can adopt out all of its adoptable dogs and cats, that means they can take in more animals that need help, shelter, and homes.

Adelyne is an adoptable pitbull at the Summerville SPCA Clear the Shelters 2016 event
So what can you do to make a difference? Share the word! Tell your friends and furiends its Clear the Shelters Day! Even if your local shelter is not participating, call to see if they have adoption specials – share this informaiton even if you can’t adopt. And if you have more time on your paws fur more than a quick phone call and social media share, GO TO THE SHELTER and see how you can help by volunteering your time.
Let’s #SaveThePupppies everypawdy. It’s gonna take all of us and Clear the Shelters is a great program creating awareness to help save the lives of dogs & puppies, cats & kittens, iguanas & lizards, bunnies & guinea pigs, and yes even horses, cows & pigs!
Click here to see if your area is shelter is pawticipating
Local SC Pupsters!!! Francis R. Willis SPCA in Summerville (the Dorchester County animal shelter) IS pawticipating today! Go adopt a dog today and then send me a foto so I can share!
Leave a Reply