‘She Had to Come Home With Me': Memorable Moments From #ClearTheShelters
"She's just adorable. I've been home for 10 minutes and she's already taken over the house," said one adoptive pet mom
By Sarah Glover ••
Baywater Animal Rescue
It was her ears!
Mandy Rickman fell in love with a 4-month-old puppy when she stopped by an animal shelter in rural Maryland during NBC's second annual Clear the Shelters drive on Saturday.
Rickman had just finished grocery shopping when she decided to stop by the Baywater Animal Rescue to look for a playmate for her dog at home.
Just as Rickman walked in, a litter of puppies was let out. Right away, she noticed a brown pup named Maggie with big, floppy ears. Maggie and her siblings had traveled all night from a kill shelter in Florida before landing in Baywater's care.
Joseph Kaczmarek
Jen Schubert and Jeramy Hull pose for a photo with their newly adopted 'Othello' at ACCT.
Joseph Kaczmarek
Cat foster mom Tuesday Wolf adopted Marci on Saturday at ACCT.
Joseph Kaczmarek
ACCT even had this guinea pig up for adoption.
Joseph Kaczmarek
Janean Owens, Phillip Owens and their son Ryan, 4, pose for a photo with their newly adopted 'Rain' at ACCT.
Eric Kreindler (NBCUniversal)
Pom Pom goes to his forever home in Mansfield, Texas.
Joseph Kaczmarek, special to NBC10
Nicole Haigler poses with her newly adopted cat Larry at the Animal Care and Control Team in Pennsylvania.
Francesca Beverisge
For the second year in a row, Jonathan came to adopt a kitty and went home with Vernon the cat.
Ashley Garcia
The Rodriguez family just adopted Bear from the Irving Animal Shelter.
Risie Medina
These kids just adopted a new family member.
Joseph Kaczmarek, special to NBC10
Fran Kloss holds her newly adopted dog, Sparkles, at the Providence Animal Center in Media, Pennsylvania.
Martha Stallard (NBCUniversal)
Shelley heard about Clear the Shelters and knew she had to check it out. She ended up taking Moe home with her.
Susan Carlson (NBCUniversal)
Jedi picked Michelle Smith as his new mom. The cat crawled onto her, hugged and kissed her! Michelle is taking him home from the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge.
Brandon Hudson
Leo found a new owner at the Montco SPCA in Philadelphia.
All Breed Rescue
Mister, a 2-year-old Dachshund mix, was a long term resident at the All Breed Rescue in Vermont. Now he has a new home.
Karol Valencia
More adopted animals from Perkiomville SPCA in Pennsylvania.
Brandywine Valley SPCA
Here's the proud new owner of this little guy after he was adopted at the Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania SPCA.
All Breed Rescue League
Freddie, a 5-year-old Boxer mix, was pulled from a high kill shelter. He found his new home today in New England.
NECN
Braelynn holds onto her new kitten as part of Clear the Shelters adoption day in New England.
Karol Valencia
Congrats to this new cat owner in Pennsylvania!
Karol Valencia
Some felines at the Perkiomonville shelter found homes Saturday.
Cathleen Koch
Dogs found new homes after being housed at Wet Nose Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania.
Twins Jonah and Neil of Hartford, Connecticut, adopted twin kittens Tina and Sabrina.
Rickman knew she had to take Maggie home.
"She's just adorable. I've been home for 10 minutes and she's already taken over the house," said Rickman, who lives in East New Market, Maryland. "I had been looking for another dog. I just lost a dog a year ago. I knew she had to come home with me."
Rickman, a Ravens fan, renamed the puppy Poe after the Baltimore team's mascot. Her first order of business when she got home was to give Poe a bath and a walk.
For Baywater, Clear the Shelters has brought plenty of prospective pet parents through their front doors.
"We are psyched," said Baywater executive director Maureen Scott-Taylor. "Families can pick out the dog they think is going to be their forever friend."
— BaywaterAnimalRescue (@BaywaterAnimal) July 23, 2016
Poe is one of more than 45,000 pets to be adopted as part of Clear the Shelters this month. Pet parents who mentioned Clear the Shelters during the adoption process were included in NBC's count.
Other new pet owners shared photos of their once-homeless animals on social media Saturday, including a kitten from New Hampshire named Storm.
The Hussey family fell in love with Storm when they walked into the New Hampshire SPCA. Two-year-old Braelynn Hussey greeted her new furry friend with a kiss.
![[NATL] Should You Adopt a Dog? This Flowchart Will Help You Decide](https://ots.nbcwpshield.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/eric-8058.jpg?fit=320%2C480){kind=link}