The Science of Love: Hill's Pet Nutrition and Actor Taylor Lautner Invite Pet Lovers to Join the Clear The Shelters Campaign to End Pet Homelessness

Hill's Returns as National Sponsor of NBCUniversal Local's Clear the Shelters for the Fifth Consecutive Year to Help Shelter Animals Find Homes Through Science-led Nutrition this August 

TOPEKA, Kan., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year¹. This year marks a critical time as over the past five months, more animals are entering shelters than leaving them². That's why Hill's Pet Nutrition, a global leader in science-led pet nutrition, is ramping up its year-round support of shelters as part of its mission to help end pet homelessness.

For the fifth year, Hill's returns as the national sponsor of  Clear The Shelters, NBCUniversal Local's nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign, and is teaming up with actor Taylor Lautner (Twilight, Scream Queens) to encourage prospective pet owners to find their new best friend during the country's largest pet adoption of the year.

As a longtime pet lover and owner, Lautner adopted his dog Remi in 2021 and jumped at the opportunity to join this year's Clear The Shelters campaign.

"Adopting Remi was one of the best decisions my fiancée and I have ever made. She not only completed our family but has also fueled our passion for advocating for shelter pets who are in need of a loving home," said Lautner. "Hill's does a great job helping get shelter pets ready for adoption through science-led nutrition. Together we encourage anyone considering adopting a pet to open their hearts and homes to pets in need."

Each year through Clear The Shelters, NBC and Telemundo stations nationwide team up with shelters and rescues in their communities, which included more than 1,300 organizations last year, to help find loving homes for pets in need. Since its inception in 2015, the campaign has helped more than 700,000 find their forever homes.

The campaign will again feature online donations through partners Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit, and The Animal Rescue Site, which will host the fundraising and cover all transaction fees so that 100 percent of donations go directly to shelters and rescues in need. Online donations can be made to participating shelters or rescues during the campaign at ClearTheSheltersFund.org, which is also accessible via ClearTheShelters.com.

In addition to being a national sponsor, Hill's will provide adoption kits to new pet parents containing starter bags of Hill's pet food, coupons, pet-parenting tips and other supplies, which will be available at select shelters throughout the month. 

"For the past two decades, Hill's has helped millions of shelter pets find their forever homes through our Hill's Food, Shelter & Love program, and we are proud to continue our long-time support of the Clear The Shelter campaign," said Nicki Baty, President of Hill's Pet Nutrition US. "We are grateful to work in partnership with Greater Good Charities, Taylor Lautner, and thousands of veterinary, retail and shelter partners nationwide, to help end pet homelessness - especially during a time when shelters are under-resourced and experiencing rising intake rates."

Hill's is also providing financial support for the campaign to support two Greater Good Charities "Good Flights" pet airlifts during Clear The Shelters month in August, where at-risk animals in overpopulated shelters will be transported to new shelters to be evaluated and receive needed medical care before being put up for adoption.

With purpose at the heart of everything, Hill's is empowering its employees to give back to communities and support the initiatives that help drive the brand's mission forward. Across the organization, hundreds of Hill's employees will volunteer at participating shelters during Clear The Shelters crescendo weekend August 26-28, 2022 to provide adoption kits to help pet parents welcome their new pets into the family.

The year's campaign also coincides with the 20th Anniversary of Hill's Food, Shelter and Love program, which partners with shelters 365 days a year to supply premium pet nutrition for animals in need. The program has provided more than $300 million in pet food to more than 1,000 shelters and has helped more than 12 million pets find new homes. When pet parents purchase Hill's products, they help us provide premium nutrition to thousands of shelter pets across the country.

For more information on Clear The Shelters, including participating animal shelters and rescues, along with details on local events, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com.

To learn more about Hill's support of shelters and the pets they care for, visit www.hillscleartheshelters.com.

¹ American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
² Shelter Animals Count

PR Contact:
Jennie Rosenberg, Hill + Knowlton Strategies
[email protected]

Founded more than 80 years ago with an unwavering commitment to science-led pet nutrition, Hill's Pet Nutrition is on a mission to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill's is dedicated to pioneering research for dogs and cats using a scientific understanding of their specific needs. As a leading veterinarian recommended pet food brand, knowledge is our first ingredient with 220+ veterinarians, PhD nutritionists and food scientists working to develop breakthrough innovations in pet health. Hill's Prescription Diet therapeutic nutrition plus our everyday foods, Hill's Science Diet, Hill's Healthy Advantage and Hill's Bioactive Recipe, are sold at vet clinics and pet specialty retailers worldwide. For more information about our products, nutritional philosophy, visit HillsPet.com or HillsVet.com. To learn more about Hill's Food, Shelter & Love program, visit hillspet.com/shelter.

Clear The Shelters™ / Desocupar Los Albergues® is an annual, nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Local, a division of NBCUniversal. Every year, NBCUniversal Local's NBC and Telemundo owned stations, plus affiliated stations, partner with animal shelters and rescues in their communities to host Clear The Shelters events. NBCUniversal Local's Clear The Shelters campaign was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX and dozens of area shelters that resulted in the most adopted pets in one day for North Texas. Since 2015, NBCUniversal Local's Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign has resulted in more than 700,000 pets finding new homes. Visit ClearTheShelters.com and DesocuparLosAlbergues.com for more information.   

NBCUniversal Local is NBCUniversal's local media division that delivers English and Spanish-speakers and bilingual audiences in 31 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico, the very best in local sports, news, weather, consumer and investigative reporting, and lifestyle entertainment across any platform and screen. NBCUniversal Local is comprised of three individual media groups including the NBC Owned Television Stations, the NBC Sports Regional Networks and the Telemundo Station Group. The division is also home to multicast networks NBCLX, COZI TV and TeleXitos, the regional cable news network NECN, as well as NBC Spot On, an advanced video advertising business designed for local/regional CTV and OTT advertisers and several in-house companies including production company LXTV, marketing and promotions company Skycastle, its out-of-home business NBC Everywhere, and the Arthouse, a graphics design group. With seven regional sports networks and 42 NBC and Telemundo stations serving 38 percent of U.S. homes, NBCUniversal Local is the only network-owned local media division that is home to the largest bilingual local newsrooms within the country's top 10 TV markets. NBCUniversal Local's stations and networks serve diverse audiences and communities across linear, streaming, OTT, digital web, mobile and audio, and cable platforms and work together to keep local audiences informed anytime and anywhere. For more information, visit NBCUniversal.com.

SOURCE Hill's Pet Nutrition