All in all, "Empty the Shelter Day" was a huge win in many ways, said both organizers and participants. Not only did the event help to increase the visibility of animal shelters in their communities, but — given that overcrowding is an especially urgent problem in shelters during the summer — it was also critical in the saving of many, many lives.
KXAS-TV reported, for instance, that one participating shelter, Dallas Animal Services, was
euthanizing 50 to 60 animals every single day this summer because it simply didn't have space for them; on Saturday, however, the shelter
found homes for 149 of its 150 animals.
The day's success could perhaps be best summed up in a photograph posted by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas, one of the event’s partners, at the end of the adoption effort.
“Look at those empty kennels,” the organization wrote on Instagram.