Half-Hour Show Includes Appearances by Matt Damon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristin Chenoweth, Adam Wainwright and Wendi McLendon-Covey
‘Clear The Shelters Presented by Hill’s Pet Nutrition’ Nationwide Pet Adoption and Donation Campaign Returns for 12th Consecutive Year Aug. 1 to 31
Watch The ‘Clear The Shelters’ Trailer Here
NEW YORK – July 28, 2026 – NBCUniversal Local today announced its new-look Clear The Shelters television special featuring high-profile celebrities – led by the star of Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey, Matt Damon – inspiring pet stories and animal rescue heroes will premiere on NBC stations nationwide on Friday, Aug. 7. The half-hour show celebrates Clear The Shelters Presented by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, NBC and Telemundo stations’ annual pet adoption and donation campaign returning for its 12th year this August.
Produced for the first time by NBCU Skycastle, the Clear The Shelters special also includes appearances by Academy Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, who appears in NBC’s upcoming comedy Newlyweds; Emmy and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, featured in Peacock’s Stumble, Universal Pictures’ Wicked and NBC’s One Wonderful Night holiday special; former MLB All-Star and MLB game analyst Adam Wainwright; Wendi McLendon-Covey, star of NBC’s hit comedy St. Denis Medical;and Sutton Stracke from Bravo’s award-winning reality series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The program delivers heartwarming pet adoption and rescue stories from across the nation, including: a shelter pet, Chief, turned ‘bat dog’ for the Banana Ball League’s team the Firefighters; the designer of cozy, travel-ready backpacks for dogs and his day exploring New York City with a rescue puppy; and a Long Island City, N.Y., photographer who specializes in intentionally bad portraits of adopted pets on their new families.
The show also explores shelter pets’ journey from rescue to adoption, and a piece on the ASPCA’s ‘personality match’ program for cats and adopters. Brett Endes, known as ‘The Dog Savant,’ also provides helpful pet training tips. Several social media influencers and animal advocates also contribute entertaining content to the special: creators Bobby ‘RxCKSTxR’ Johnson, Max ‘Farbsy’ Farber, and Jack Lambert.
Following its Aug. 7 debut on NBC-owned and affiliated stations, the Clear The Shelters special will also be presented on the NBC-owned stations’ free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels and COZI TV, the national multicast network. Check local listings for local air dates and times.
As part of the 2026 Clear The Shelters, NBC and Telemundo stations across the nation are partnering with shelters in their communities to promote adoption and raise funds for their operations this August. For more information on Clear The Shelters, including participating shelters, along with details on local events, visit ClearTheShelters.com and DesocuparlosAlbergues.com. Shelters can join the campaign via the new Shelter Registration Portal. Follow Clear The Shelters on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has helped more than 1.3 million pets find new homes and raised more than $5.6 million for animal shelters.
2026 Clear The Shelters Campaign Features:
Presenting Sponsor
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a global leader in science-based pet nutrition and leading supporter of animal welfare, is returning for the ninth consecutive year as a partner of Clear The Shelters, and for the first time as the presenting sponsor of the annual pet adoption and donation campaign. Hill’s Pet Nutrition will support Clear The Shelters campaign activities, along with providing adoption kits to help new pet parents at select participating shelters, which will include starter bags of Hill’s Science Diet, coupons, and other supplies.
Online Fundraising
Fundraising for the 2026 Clear The Shelters will once again be led by Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit and longtime campaign partner. Donations to the general fund can be made now through Sept. 15, and donations directly to individual shelters can be made from Aug. 1 to 31 at ClearTheSheltersFund.org.
Virtual Adoptions
WeRescue is also returning for the eighth consecutive year as the exclusive technology partner of Clear The Shelters. The WeRescue website and apps let users browse adoptable pets in their area by breed, gender, size, and more, apply to adopt, and ask questions directly to shelters.
Merchandise
This campaign, The Black Dog will partner with Clear The Shelters for the second year. The restaurant and apparel company will allow customers to donate to the Clear The Shelters fund by rounding up their total for purchases. The Black Dog will also create a special collection of Clear The Shelters-branded merchandise and will donate 50 percent of the proceeds to the fund, and host adoption events at their retail locations.
About Clear The Shelters
NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters™ is an annual nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign held each August. As part of the initiative, NBC- and Telemundo-owned and affiliated stations partner with animal shelters and rescues in communities across the U.S. to promote pet adoption and raise funds for participating shelters. Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has led to more than 1.3 million pet adoptions and raised more than $5.6 million. Longtime campaign supporters include Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a national sponsor for nine consecutive years and presenting sponsor in 2026, Greater Good Charities and WeRescue. Clear The Shelters was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX. For more information, visit ClearTheShelters.com.
About NBCUniversal Local
NBCUniversal Local, part of NBCUniversal News Group, is comprised of more than 50 media properties, including local TV stations and regional sports networks that deliver English- and Spanish-speaking audiences in 30 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico comprehensive news, weather, consumer and investigative reporting, lifestyle and entertainment content and live sports coverage across TV, streaming and digital platforms. NBCUniversal Local consists of three media groups – NBC Owned Television Stations, NBC Sports Regional Networks and Telemundo Station Group – plus multicast networks COZI TV, NBC True CRMZ, and TeleXitos, and 18 free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels – including 11 NBC local news, five Telemundo regional news channels, Telemundo Puerto Rico and NBC LX Home. NBCUniversal Local also features NBC Spot On, an advanced CTV and OTT advertising platform; LXTV Productions; marketing and promotions company Skycastle; out-of-home business NBC Everywhere; and The Arthouse, a graphic design group.
MEDIA CONTACT
Brian Potter
Brian.Potter@nbcuni.com
