More than 135,000 shelter pets found new homes this August through NBC's annual Clear The Shelters campaign. The initiative, run by NBCUniversal Local with Hill's Pet Nutrition as presenting sponsor, drew over 1,200 animal shelters across the United States.

The adoption window ran from August 1 to 31, with more than 100 NBC and Telemundo stations covering events in 153 markets across 47 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and Guam. The campaign's fundraiser collected nearly $500,000 for participating shelters.

Now in its 12th year, Clear The Shelters has helped nearly 1.5 million pets find homes and raised more than $6 million since its 2015 launch. "Clear The Shelters demonstrates what's possible when our communities come together to help pets in need," said Meredith McGinn, NBCUniversal Local's executive vice president of diginets and original production.

The campaign comes as shelters face record capacity pressures, said sponsor Hill's Pet Nutrition. Every adoption frees space and resources for the next animal in need, giving the yearly drive a lasting impact beyond August.