On July 23, 2016, the second annual Clear the Shelters campaign took place at almost 700 animal shelters across the United States. The campaign's goal is to find homes for the thousands of homeless pets stuck in shelters throughout the country. Sponsored by NBCUniversal television stations and Petco, shelters nationwide offered free or low-cost pet adoptions to any family willing to take home a pet. Last year, close to 20,000 pets found new homes. This year, the number was doubled to over 45,000.

"Our entire division of NECN, Telemundo and NBC stations and our corporate staff are overwhelmed and thrilled with the extraordinary results of this year's Clear the Shelters event," said Valari Staab, president of NBCUniversal stations. "We want to thank all of our shelters, NBC and Telemundo affiliates that joined us this year and our partners, including Petco and VIP Petcare. Together, we emptied at least 13 shelters and found more than 45,000 animals new loving homes."

Dogs, cats and even reptiles like iguanas and snakes were all up for adoption, with many cities like Fort Worth, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland completely clearing out their local shelters in as little as a couple of hours. The turnout was praised by shelters nationwide, with many saying they had no way of anticipating 2016's massive turnout. The best part is that this year's number is only expected to grow even larger in the coming years. With 2015 and 2016 combined, nearly 70,000 pets are now living in happy, loving homes.