Palm Springs Animal Shelter Waives Adoption Fees This Weekend for "Clear the Shelters" Event

The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is full right now, especially with larger dogs, and this weekend it's asking the community to help. As part of the national "Clear the Shelters" campaign, the shelter is waiving all adoption fees Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

Getting to this point takes weeks of work behind the scenes. "It is amazing how the staff and volunteers come together," said Dan Rossi, executive director of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. "Medically, we are clearing them to make sure they're healthy and ready to go as well. Upcoming weeks to getting there, our medical team is in the back spaying, neutering animals, getting them ready as well. So it's a lot of work to pull this off, but it's worth it at the end of the day."

Dogs, cats, puppies and kittens will all be available throughout the weekend. The waived fees are covered by Marco Colantonio Real Estate Group, so anyone hoping to bring home a new pet won't pay anything to adopt.

NBC Palm Springs has partnered with the shelter for this national event for several years. Together, the effort has helped find new homes for hundreds of animals in the Coachella Valley.

The local event is part of a larger push by NBCUniversal Local, now in its 12th year. The donation side of the campaign started in July and runs through September 15, while adoptions are being promoted nationwide throughout August. Since it began in 2015, Clear the Shelters has led to more than 1.3 million pet adoptions and raised over $5.6 million for shelters and rescues across the country. Last year alone, the campaign helped more than 160,000 animals find homes.

Anyone interested in adopting can visit the Palm Springs Animal Shelter this Saturday or Sunday during open hours.