Within minutes of opening its doors Saturday morning, the Stonington Animal Rescue Project in Stonington, Connecticut, had found homes for all of its kittens.
Kittens are always popular but shelter officials were unprepared for the speed at which these 13 were adopted at the beginning of NBC's second annual "Clear the Shelters" drive.
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"We were totally cleared by 10:10," said Brooke Russell, who is charge of social media for the shelter.
More than 30,000 animals have been adopted as part of Clear the Shelters this month. Pet owners who mentioned the Clear the Shelters campaign during the adoption process were included in NBC's count.
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More than 40 local NBC and Telemundo television stations are teaming up with some 650 animal shelters across the country and in Puerto Rico for the event. Animal shelters are offering no-cost or reduced-fee adoptions or will waive spaying and neutering fees.
"Clear the Shelters took the nation by storm last year and inspired thousands of families to open their hearts to animals in need," said Valari Staab, the president of NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. "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."
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Still to find homes at the Stonington shelter: two guinea pigs, some roosters, barn cats and a few older cats, Russell said.
"We're an all-species rescue group," she said. "We rescue any animal in need of help."
In New York, a Huskie named Rose reached the end of a long journey that began a month and a half ago in Turkey.
Rescued by a woman in Turkey, Rose and another dog, a Doberman, were flown to the Westchester County chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Briarcliff Manor.
The Doberman was adopted quickly but Rose is a bit unsteady on her feet, a result of a neurological syndrome that made her more difficult to place until Saturday, when a man who seemed a perfect fit came in and took her home to Connecticut.
"She’s going to fine for her life but it's just something to look out for and keep on top of," said the shelter’s executive director, Shannon Laukhuf. "When you see her walk, she's usually fine but every ten steps she might sway a little bit."
"She doesn’t let it stop her," Laukhuf added. "She's just the most playful dog. She loves other animals, she's great with kids."
Nearly 20,000 animals found new homes last August during Clear the Shelters, among them Roxie.
An older pit bull, she was left in a backyard in Stockton, California, when the woman who owned her went to prison. She had been well cared but ended up at the city shelter, shivering, anxious and unable to walk.
Another dog thought to be her daughter was adopted but she languished until she was moved to the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco in time for NBC's nationwide pet adoption drive last year. And there she met Terry and Doug Burke.
They took her home and showered her with love.
"Roxie is thriving," Doug Burke said. "She's loving her life."
At the Humane Society of Broward Country, Florida, 167 animals were adopted last year — mostly dogs and cats but also guinea pigs and rabbits. Between 25 and 50 animals are adopted on a typical Saturday, according to Cherie Wachter, the vice president of marketing.
The shelter is looking forward to similar success during this year. Wachter expects the shelter to be busy and said families will be asked to fill out an application and talk to a counselor to ensure a good match.
"Be patient and bring the whole family," she said. "What Dad picks out might not be what Mom likes. So it's best if it's a family decision."
Natalie Morales, NBC News' West Coast anchor for the "Today" show, will host a 30-minute special on Friday, July 29 to recap the day. It will air on the NBC Owned Television Stations and on more than 120 NBC affiliated stations.
A similar show airing on the Telemundo stations will be co-hosted by Stephanie Himonidis, known as "Chiquibaby," and Elva Saray, hosts of the daily entertainment show "Acceso Total" on Telemundo 52 Los Angeles or KVEA.
The Muttville shelter will have about 80 dogs available for adoption Saturday — of all types and sizes, from 3 to 110 pounds. They were strays or lost their homes when their owners moved, went into nursing homes, died or in some other way were no longer able to care for them. The one thing the mutts have in common is that they are all at least 7 years old.
"What you see is what you get," said Sherri Franklin, founder and executive director of the Muttville shelter. "Their personalities are already formed. A lot of our dogs have grown up in families so we sometimes are able to give that kind of background on the dog. They're trained, they're not going to chew up your shoes."
Last year's mood was festive, drawing in people who might have been putting off getting a dog, she said. At the end of the day, 19 dogs had new homes. The goal for this year event is to double that number.
Muttville is on what's known as "Rescue Row," which it shares with the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the San Francisco Animal Care and Control shelter and the Northern California Family Dog Rescue.
"If you're looking to adopt, you can find anything on Rescue Row," said Patty Stanton, who handles the shelter's public relations.
Roxie is the second dog the Burkes have adopted from Muttville — and their fourth rescue dog in all — and she has been playing with Doug Burke from the first day in their home.
"And she hasn’t stopped since," Terry Burke wrote in describing the adoption. "Except to eat and sleep, both of which she also enjoys tremendously. Along with giving little tiny kisses, which my friend told me from pit bulls are called 'pibbles.'"
Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
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