Hundreds of pets found loving homes in the Tampa Bay area through the “Clear the Shelters” adoption campaign throughout August. This annual event, organized by NBCUniversal Local and Telemundo, featured waived adoption fees for participating shelters.
On August 29, the SPCA Tampa Bay reported that 69 pets were adopted during their official event in Largo and Tampa. Since the campaign began on August 1, SPCA Tampa Bay recorded a total of 330 adoptions, including 184 cats and 122 dogs.
Remarkably, a majority of the adoptions occurred between August 22 and 28, with numbers steadily rising throughout the campaign. By the end, SPCA Tampa Bay noted that all cats had been adopted, marking a significant achievement.
According to data from WeRescue, the campaign’s technology partner, “Clear the Shelters” has facilitated over 100,000 pet adoptions in 2026, with numbers still climbing as shelters report new placements. Since its 2015 launch, the initiative has helped more than 1 million pets find homes, with participation from over 1,700 shelters nationwide.
