NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters Campaign Has Extraordinary Results

By Paul Greeley

135,000 pets disappeared from shelters across the country,  and it’s all NBCUniversal Local’s fault.

More than 135,000 pets, and counting, will find new homes thanks to The 2026 Clear The Shelters Presented by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide pet adoption and donation initiative.

Picture in your mind 135,000 pets leaving shelters to go their forever home to be loved and nurtured.

To me, that’s an extraordinary result that people who adopted these pets can hug every day.

Plus, the 2026 Clear The Shelters Presented by Hill’s Pet Nutrition raised nearly $500,000 for participating animal shelters.

Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has now led to nearly 1.5 million pet adoptions and raised more than $6 million in donations.

“Clear The Shelters demonstrates what’s possible when our communities come together to help pets in need,” said Meredith McGinn, NBCUniversal Local’s EVP of Diginets & Original Production and Clear The Shelters leader. “We’re proud of the meaningful impact this campaign continues to have for shelters and pets across the country, and grateful to Hill’s Pet Nutrition and all our partners who help make Clear The Shelters possible.”

The 2026 Clear The Shelters was hosted by more than 100 NBC and Telemundo stations, which partnered with more than 1,200 shelters in 153 markets across 47 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam. The 2026 adoption campaign was held from Aug. 1 to 31, with fundraising taking place July 15 to Sept. 15.

“As animal shelters across the country face unprecedented capacity pressures, programs like Clear The Shelters are more critical than ever in supporting pets and the organizations that care for them,” said Carrick Massey, Senior Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “For nine consecutive years, Hill’s has been proud to support the campaign’s mission to help more pets find a loving home, an effort made possible by the devoted campaign partners and shelters who continue to show up for animals in need.”

Paul Greeley is the manager and a writer for News Blues.

He can be reached at Paul@NewsBlues.com or 817-578-6324.