Hundreds of pets found forever homes during Saturday's Clear the Shelters event in South Florida.
Seven shelters in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe participated in NBC 6 and Telemundo 51's event, which is part of an annual national campaign to find forever homes for animals in need.
All seven shelters waived adoption fees to help families find and adopt a new pet. Other services were also free, depending on the location.
Nearly 1,600 animals were adopted in South Florida in the days leading up to Saturday's big event. More than 340 more were adopted Saturday.
For a map of participating shelters and rescues near you, click here.
From older dogs to kittens to rabbits to iguanas, the NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations' Clear the Shelters pet adoption campaign has inspired local communities to take action and open their homes to pets in need.
Local
During last year's one-day event, around 800 pets found homes in South Florida, and there have been more than 1,200 local adoptions since the event began in 2015. More than 70,000 pet adoptions have been completed nationwide since 2015.
"Last year’s Clear the Shelters surpassed our wildest expectations,” said Laurie Hoffman, Executive Director at the Humane Society of Greater Miami. "Seeing pets who have been living at our Soffer and Fine Adoption Center for months – even years – finally have a chance to walk out with a family who will love them forever is an indescribable feeling. We are thrilled to partner with NBC 6 and Telemundo 51 to make this year’s Clear the Shelters another remarkable day for our local community!"
Here are the locations and details for each shelter:
Miami-Dade County Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center
3599 NW 79th Avenue, Doral
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Adoptions are free for all pets, including puppies. Pet adoptions include spay/neuter surgery, microchip, de-worming, age-appropriate vaccinations and a license tag.
Humane Society of Greater Miami
16101 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Humane Society of Greater Miami will offer waived pet adoption fees to help families find and adopt a new pet.
Broward County Animal Care and Adoption Division
2400 Southwest 42nd Street, Fort Lauderdale
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All adoption fees for dogs and cats will be waived. In addition, the $20 non-refundable deposit to hold a lost/stray pet also will be waived during the one-day event.
Abandoned Pet Rescue Fort Lauderdale
1137 Northeast 9th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale
Hours: Noon to 5:30 p.m.
Adoption fees will be waived Saturday and all other APR adoption guidelines will be in effect.
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League
3100/3200 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In addition to free adoptions, there will be free Science Diet starter kits and 30-day petfirst insurance to ALL adopters, free basic training and socialization class for dogs and puppies, free Scenthound “Clean Start” packages for adopted dogs ($35.00 value). Palm Beach County residents are required to purchase a rabies tag.
Florida Keys SPCA in Marathon and Key West
5230 College Road, Key West and 10550 Aviation Boulevard, Marathon
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Adoption fees will be completely waived, but current adoption procedures and policies still apply. There will also be games, kids activities, a face painter, door prizes, food, a Kiss-A-Bull booth and fun for the whole family.
For more local information about the campaign, tips and success stories, visit nbc6.com/cleartheshelters. You can also follow the effort on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by using the hashtags #ClearTheShelters and #LoveMyPet. To access information in Spanish, visit DesocuparLosAlbergues.com and follow #DesocuparLosAlbergues and #AmoAMiMascota.
Clear the Shelters is an initiative spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal.
