lauren lipsy. she's representing the oglethorpe and new york avenue shelters. and kathryn so good to see all of you. that's all a mouthful. >> it is. >> it is the third annual clear the shelters event. there are more than 800 shelters in 20 days and washington, d.c. taking part in it. this is a one-day adoption drive. we love animals and love helping find forever homes for them. tell us how it works. >> today the fee is waived. i think you said there are 30 in the d.c. metro area. if they've been prolonging the process, we're not compromising the process. it's an enjoyable time and the heart of the summer season when the populations of animals are high. shelters are full, we're at capacity all across the country. this is the time to adopt if you're interested. >> interesting. why are they full in summer? >> we are certainly full. kitten season. it's just a time of year where we're just notoriously busy. kittens, animals are just having babies, and we certainly are experiencing that right now. we have a lot of cats. we have a lot of kittens. we also just have a

lauren lipsy is here from the humane rescue alliance to talk more about how to prepare your home for your new guest, who's this? >> this is o'dissius. and oddisus is 10 years old. and he's been with us since valentine's day. he is a very long-term resident. we hold all animals as long as we need to to help find them a home. >> he is super sweet. hopefully we can get him a home very soon. >> and again, you do not have to have a yard. we want people to be considerate of the fact that people live in an urban environment. you can have a dog in an apartment of course if your landlord allows you. you just have to have different considerations. walks and that one-on-one time necessary for bathroom breaks and even just exercise. >> exactly. so you've got to keep the dog in mind too. what are some of the things you can say -- let's talk about maybe someone who's never owned a dog before because i'm sure the ones who maybe already have a dog or they've owned one in the past, they already know some stuff. but what about someone who's never owned a dog that are going to come to clear the shelter