Bobo is available for adoption at our Adoption Center!

This year, we celebrated Clear the Shelters 2020 for the entire month of August! During this month, we encouraged animal lovers everywhere to consider adopting an animal from their local rescue or shelter. In addition to helping some of our adoptable furry friends find homes here in NYC, the NBC Clear the Shelters map was available online to help people find an animal rescue or shelter near them.

While in previous years, we celebrated Clear the Shelters on a single day and held a record number of adoptions, this year we focused on finding the right families for some of our harder-to-place animals and found that there truly is a match out there for everyone—whether you’re on four legs or two. 

Making Lasting Matches 

Kitkat, a beautiful seven-year-old cat, had spent months searching for the right home. Though sweet and social, Kitkat had a chronic kidney condition that deterred some potential adopters. But patience is always key, and toward the end of Clear the Shelters, Kitkat finally went home. A loving couple with experience navigating similar conditions saw Kitkat for the adorable companion she truly is. 

But she wasn’t the only success story. Two-year-old Mott came to the ASPCA incredibly fearful in June and spent time in our Animal Recovery Center before moving to a home with a foster caregiver. Even though he was working hard to be more trusting and less afraid, Mott’s shy personality didn’t fully allow potential adopters to see him for his true self. He needed someone who would be patient and understanding in his new home. Fortunately, an adopter with experience with shy cats saw this handsome boy and made the adoption official.

In addition to our feline friends, our pal Bugzy put smiles on all our faces as she went home! Bugzy, a large, seven-year-old pit bull-mix, found her new home thanks to one of our Matchmakers, who connected the adorable dog with a family acquaintance, hoping it would be the right fit. She's now been dubbed "Queen Bugzy," in her new home.

Encouraging Adoption During a Pandemic 

As we celebrated Clear the Shelters, we continued to promote remote adoptions, a process we began as a response to the pandemic causing the ASPCA Adoption Center to close its doors to in-person visits. Matchmakers have been working around the clock to filter through adoption applications and ensure that adoptable animals find the homes they need and deserve. The level of care put into making these matches has certainly paid off for so many of our favorite ASPCA dogs and cats. It’s also helped nervous animals, like Mott, be seen in a home setting through our online meet-and-greets, versus being met in a shelter-setting where they may not feel as comfortable. 

“Helping animals adjust during a pandemic meant adjusting the way we look at adoptions,” says Ruth Allen, Director of Matchmaking & Admission at the ASPCA Adoption Center. “As we began promoting remote adoptions, we weren’t sure how people would respond or how it would affect getting animals into loving homes. But over the past few months we’ve seen such support, and dogs and cats are finding families every day, not just with us, but with rescues and shelters nationwide.” 

Making matches like these are incredibly rewarding, and thanks to all of our friends and supporters, they happen all the time. As we reflect on our adoption efforts over the last month, we look forward to continuing to help more animals in need find the homes they deserve.