MURFREESBORO, TN  – Rutherford County PAWS has joined NBCUniversal Local’s 2023 Clear The Shelters pet adoption and donation event for the entire month of August. PAWS asks all members of the community to join them in their BIG celebration event on Saturday, August 19th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the ninth consecutive year NBC and Telemundo owned stations are partnering with affiliate stations and animal shelters and rescues to promote pet adoption and help raise funds to support animal welfare. Since its inception in 2015, Clear The Shelters has helped more than 860,000 pets find new homes. Sponsors Team George Weeks, local real estate company in Murfreesboro, has returned again this year to waive all adoption fees during the big event.

"PAWS Clear the Shelters event is hands-down one of the events we most look forward to sponsoring and participating in each year. With an office full of dog and animal lovers, it is a privilege to be a part of the effort to get these dogs a forever home!" – Team George Weeks

“This event couldn’t have come at a better time. Clear the Shelters is a saving grace to shelters as full as ours. Thank you, NBC and Team George Weeks, for sponsoring such an amazing event.” -PAWS Public Relations Media Specialist, Gracie Hill

About Rutherford County PAWS - Rutherford County Pet Adoption & Welfare Services is working in partnership with the community to create a safe, healthy, and caring environment for both our citizens and animals through education, adoption and courteous, effective enforcement of the Tennessee Codes annotated relating to animals and the rules & regulations pertaining to control of animals in Rutherford County. Follow PAWS on Instagram and Facebook @rutherfordcountypaws

About Clear The Shelters - Clear The Shelters™ / Desocupar Los Albergues® is an annual, nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Local, a division of NBCUniversal. Every year, NBCUniversal Local’s NBC and Telemundo owned stations, plus affiliated stations, partner with animal shelters and rescues in their communities promote pet adoption and raise needed funds. NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters campaign was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX and dozens of area shelters that resulted in the most adopted pets in one day for North Texas. Since 2015, Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign has resulted in more than 860,000 pet adoptions. Visit ClearTheShelters.com and DesocuparLosAlbergues.com for more information.   

For more information on the 2023 Clear The Shelters, including participating shelters and rescues, along with details on local events and activities, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language website DesocuparlosAlbergues.com. Follow the effort on Twitter @ClearTheShelter, and on social media using #ClearTheShelters and #DesocuparLosAlbergues.