The Montgomery County Animal Shelter is participating in the fourth annual Clear the Shelters event on Saturday, Aug. 18, in an effort to increase the shelter's adoption numbers and alleviate overcrowding. The shelter reported having 630 animals as of Wednesday; the shelter only has 545 kennels.

Clear the Shelters is a nationwide pet adoption campaign focused on finding homes for homeless dogs and cats in shelters. According to the Clear the Shelters website, more than 30,800 animals were adopted from roughly 1,000 shelters during the one-day event in 2017.

MCAS Director Aaron Johnson said this is the second year the county shelter will participate in Clear the Shelters, with last year's campaign resulting in 200 pets getting adopted in one day.

MCAS' Clear the Shelters event will feature food trucks, sno cones, face painting and free dog collar tags. Additionally, Houston-area radio station 104.1 KRBE will also broadcast live from the shelter for a portion of the day.

"It's part of our mission to get animals out of the shelter and into good homes," Johnson said. "Especially with this being the busiest time of year [for intake] when shelters need it to most, [campaigns] like this are so important."

On July 11, MCAS announced via Facebook that all adoption fees would be waived indefinitely to alleviate crowding at the shelter. Johnson said the shelter has waived adoption fees since the announcement, and MCAS currently plans to continue waiving fees through Sunday.

In addition to MCAS, local rescue groups Operation Pets Alive, Texas Litter Control and A Chance to Bloom Dog Rescue are registered for the 2018 event, according to the Clear the Shelters website.

Conroe Animal Shelter—located at 407 Sgt. Ed Holcomb Blvd. S., Conroe—is not registered with Clear the Shelters; however, the shelter is also offering $25 discounted adoption fees from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday for the event. Call 936-522-3550 or visit the shelter’s Facebook page for more information.

MCAS is located at 8535 Hwy. 242, Conroe, and the shelter will offer adoptions between 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. Call 936-442-7738 or visit www.mcaspets.org for more information. Due to the event, there will be no animal intakes at MCAS on Saturday.

To view adoptable dogs and puppies at MCAS, click here. To view adoptable cats and kittens at MCAS, click here. Adoptable animals can also be found by searching for MCAS on www.petharbor.com.

To learn more about the Clear the Shelters campaign or to find a local participating shelter, visit the website.