Valley Pet Lovers Come Out To Clear The Shelters, Set Record In The Process

Cold noses and warm hearts filled the Palm Springs Animal Shelter on Saturday as hundreds of locals looked for their next, "forever friend."

KMIR News along with NBCUniversal spearheaded the 3rd Annual "Clear The Shelters" pet adoption event. This nationwide event has helped save nearly 250,000 shelter animals over the past three years by matching them with a loving family.

"We won’t have these pets here tonight, they’ll all be resting in a nice bed," said Daniel Sumner, Palm Springs Animal Shelter Director of Operations.   "A lot of our dogs and cats they will adopt a human," said Palm Springs Mayor Robert Moon.

Adoption fees at participating shelters was only $20 which helped make finding your new "best friend" a lot easier. It also allowed adopters to budget for a few extra toys and treats in the process.

"We the like the ones that are the most cuddly and most friendly," said Giorgio Barone from Rancho Mirage. He and his sister, Stefani Barone, are new cat owners.  "All animals need a home so its good to adopt animals cause they need a home," said Giorgio.

However, finding forever homes is sometimes easier said than done.  "It’s not easy and its expensive and you see all the volunteers here, it takes a tremendous amount of work, people volunteering to make this all work, " said Mayor Moon.

This year’s event helped find 61 cats and 29 dogs a new home.