August – Clear the Shelters Month 2025

“Clear the Shelters” is a month-long campaign spearheaded by NBC/Universal that has been facilitating adoption services since 2015. That’s a decade of helping humans and pets find their forever home. Many shelters have lowered or are waiving adoption fees in an effort to encourage people by reducing the barriers to adoption if they’re considering it. The interesting thing about a campaign like this is it works. I know from my own direct personal experience; I saw a video someone put out about dogs in shelters, and it struck a chord in my heart. It had been several years since I had to put my beloved Shar Pei Niche down, and I didn’t think I was ready to go through anything like that again. I could still cry thinking about her, but something was calling me.

I asked my elderly Dad if he wanted us to get a dog, and he said no! Then a week later, he said yes, he’d changed his mind. So off we went to the Miami-Dade Animal Shelter in search of a small dog that wouldn’t be too much for him. Well, we looked and looked but just didn’t connect, so he walked into the bigger dog area and started yelling Jody, this one! This one! Get this one! Seems they connected immediately, he told me she told him I’m yours. He firmly believes she’d picked him.

Unfortunately, even though I’d rushed to the front counter, they told me she was taken. That if we wanted to come back Monday, and they hadn’t come for her, we could have her. As if ordained by the heavens, she was still there on Monday. The staff told me that she had been returned twice, and that she jumped fences, but that “she was a sweet girl.” I didn’t have the heart to tell my Dad no, so we took her home. She’s never jumped the fence or tried to run away, and they were right, she is a sweet girl, as a matter of fact, her name is Dulce. This month of August the spotlight is on these shelter animals and the humans they rescue yes, it’s true they rescue us as much as we rescue them. If you’re in a position to rescue and bring a pet home, I can’t recommend it enough.

Dulce has become the center of our world and she’s the best thing I could have done for my Dad and for me too. Clear the Shelters August 1st – 31st 2025 check it out at www.cleartheshelters.com for maps, resources or to donate.