photo by: Lawrence Humane Society

The Lawrence Humane Society on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, adopted out 159 cats and dogs for Clear the Shelter Day.

The Lawrence Humane Society on Saturday adopted out 159 animals during its Clear the Shelter Day — an annual nationwide event in which all adoption fees are waived.

This was the eighth year for the event, and it was the second most successful Clear the Shelter Day that the shelter has ever had, according to Elina Alterman, the Lawrence Humane Society’s director of development and communications.

“We had more dogs than cats adopted out, including some dogs who had been with us for a long time and had to overcome some challenges, both behavioral and medical,” Alterman said. “So the staff were all super happy to see them get adopted.”

photo by: Lawrence Humane Society

The Lawrence Humane Society on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, adopted out 159 animals for Clear the Shelter Day.

She said the event wouldn’t have been a success without the shelter’s many fosters and volunteers.

“So many people played an important role in making sure that 159 animals got to sleep in a new home (Saturday) and we are forever grateful,” she said.

The event is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Local Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal, in partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which said earlier this month that the effort has helped more than 700,000 pets nationally find forever homes.

Local sponsors for this event included Pawsh Wash, Free State Dental, Warren-McElwain Mortuary, Central National Bank and Stranger Creek Pools Inc.