Clear the Shelters: A Nationwide Pet Adoption Campaign

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the plight of animals in shelters and encourage people to adopt pets in need. The numbers are staggering:

• Approximately 5.8 million companion animals entered U.S. animal shelters nationwide in 2024.
• Of those, approximately 2.9 million are dogs and 2.9 million are cats.
• Intakes are evenly split between dogs and cats, with both contributing to the overall decline.

The decline in animal intakes is a significant issue, with 1.4% fewer animals entering shelters in 2024 compared to the previous year. This represents a decrease of 83,000 animals. The data also shows that dog intakes saw a more significant decrease compared to cats, with a drop of 11% (735,000 animals) since 2019. However, dog adoptions continued to decline, dropping 1% (nearly 22,000 fewer adoptions) from 2023 and 13% (308,000 fewer adoptions) since 2019. On the other hand, cat adoptions grew 2% (nearly 39,000 more adoptions) over 2023 and surpassed 2019 levels by 3% (57,000 additional adoptions). This highlights the ongoing challenge of declining dog adoption numbers while building on gains in cat adoptions. August is a critical month for animal shelters, with kitten season typically occurring during this time. As such, Clear The Shelters is an annual, nationwide pet adoption and shelter donation campaign that aims to raise awareness about the plight of animals in shelters and encourage people to adopt pets in need. Through this campaign, you can help local shelters in the region by finding rescues a loving home.

“We are excited to be a part of the Clear the Shelters campaign and to help raise awareness about the amazing animals in our shelters,” said Sarah Johnson, shelter manager at Roanoke Animal Shelter.

10 News will post a new animal each weekday for the Clear The Shelters campaign, featuring a new animal, more information about the animal, and adoption information. Even if you can’t adopt, you can help by sharing each pet on social media and spreading the word. You may not be looking for another pet, but someone out there is still searching. You can also donate to local shelters, which most accept monetary online donations, have Amazon wish lists or accept donations in person.

You can find out how each of 10 News Clear the Shelters partner shelters needs by visiting their websites or contacting them directly. Definitions:

*

: animals that are kept for companionship or pleasure, rather than for work or other purposes. *

: the number of animals that enter a shelter or animal shelter system. *

: the number of animals that are adopted from a shelter or animal shelter system.

Clear the Shelters: A Nationwide Pet Adoption Campaign

The Clear the Shelters campaign is a nationwide initiative that aims to raise awareness about the plight of animals in shelters and encourage people to adopt pets in need. The campaign is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Local and is an annual event that takes place in August. During the campaign, 10 News will post a new animal each weekday, featuring a new animal, more information about the animal, and adoption information. You can help by sharing each pet on social media and spreading the word. Even if you can’t adopt, you can still make a difference by donating to local shelters. The campaign is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of animal adoption and to make a positive impact on the lives of animals in shelters.

Statistics

• Approximately 5.8 million companion animals entered U.S. animal shelters nationwide in 2024.
• Of those, approximately 2.9 million are dogs and 2.9 million are cats.
• Intakes are evenly split between dogs and cats, with both contributing to the overall decline.

The data also shows that dog intakes saw a more significant decrease compared to cats, with a drop of 11% (735,000 animals) since 2019. However, dog adoptions continued to decline, dropping 1% (nearly 22,000 fewer adoptions) from 2023 and 13% (308,000 fewer adoptions) since 2019. On the other hand, cat adoptions grew 2% (nearly 39,000 more adoptions) over 2023 and surpassed 2019 levels by 3% (57,000 additional adoptions). This highlights the ongoing challenge of declining dog adoption numbers while building on gains in cat adoptions.

How You Can Help

You can help by sharing each pet on social media and spreading the word. You may not be looking for another pet, but someone out there is still searching. You can also donate to local shelters, which most accept monetary online donations, have Amazon wish lists or accept donations in person.

You can find out how each of 10 News Clear the Shelters partner shelters needs by visiting their websites or contacting them directly.

Clear the Shelters: What You Need to Know

The Clear the Shelters campaign is a nationwide initiative that aims to raise awareness about the plight of animals in shelters and encourage people to adopt pets in need. The campaign is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Local and is an annual event that takes place in August. During the campaign, 10 News will post a new animal each weekday, featuring a new animal, more information about the animal, and adoption information. You can help by sharing each pet on social media and spreading the word. Even if you can’t adopt, you can still make a difference by donating to local shelters. The campaign is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of animal adoption and to make a positive impact on the lives of animals in shelters.

Statistics

• Approximately 5.8 million companion animals entered U.S. animal shelters nationwide in 2024.
• Of those, approximately 2.9 million are dogs and 2.9 million are cats.
• Intakes are evenly split between dogs and cats, with both contributing to the overall decline.

The data also shows that dog intakes saw a more significant decrease compared to cats, with a drop of 11% (735,000 animals) since 2019. However, dog adoptions continued to decline, dropping 1% (nearly 22,000 fewer adoptions) from 2023 and 13% (308,000 fewer adoptions) since 2019. On the other hand, cat adoptions grew 2% (nearly 39,000 more adoptions) over 2023 and surpassed 2019 levels by 3% (57,000 additional adoptions). This highlights the ongoing challenge of declining dog adoption numbers while building on gains in cat adoptions.

How You Can Help

You can help by sharing each pet on social media and spreading the word. You may not be looking for another pet, but someone out there is still searching. You can also donate to local shelters, which most accept monetary online donations, have Amazon wish lists or accept donations in person.

You can find out how each of 10 News Clear the Shelters partner shelters needs by visiting their websites or contacting them directly.