Josh Hutcherson joined this year's Clear The Shelters campaign at spcaLA in Long Beach, where he walked dogs and played with kittens. His visit also brought attention to the two pit bulls he adopted: Driver, whom he rescued as an injured puppy at 19, and Manchi, his later companion. Hutcherson was beginning production on the first Hunger Games film when Driver came into his life, and he has said the experience continues to shape how he thinks about adoption.
A Shot, Abandoned Puppy Finds a Home
Hutcherson's account of Driver's rescue, reported by greatergood.com, began with a puppy who had been shot and abandoned by a previous owner. Driver had a broken leg and extensive medical needs; veterinarians operated to save the leg and inserted a steel rod to stabilize it. During the first three months of recovery, Driver needed strict rest, and Hutcherson spent hours each day holding him on his lap.
Driver's recovery was followed by another adoption: Hutcherson brought home Manchi so Driver would have company while he was away filming. “It was just time for Driver to have a friend,” Hutcherson told USA Today.
Two Big Dogs, More Than a Decade of Loyalty
The dogs are now 14-year-old Driver and 11-year-old Manchi, both large pit bulls, according to NBC New York. During his Long Beach visit, Hutcherson toured the facility, volunteered, walked dogs and spent time with kittens, the station reported.
The appearance marked the second consecutive year Hutcherson has teamed up with Hill's Pet Nutrition to support NBCUniversal Local's Clear The Shelters campaign, which connects rescue organizations with local communities nationwide. Hutcherson told the campaign's own outlet, cleartheshelters.com, that prospective adopters shouldn't wait for an ideal moment: “if you just lead with love and good intention, then it's gonna work out.” He added that supporting local shelter pets helps him reconnect while he's away on set, and that many incredible pets are simply waiting for someone to recognize what makes them special.
Large Dogs Face Longer Shelter Stays
The same source points to a broader challenge facing dogs like Driver and Manchi: large dogs spent 70% more time in shelters than small dogs on average in 2025, according to Hill's State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report. That statistic underscores why Hutcherson's message about affection, dedicated time and patience mattering more than a perfect calendar resonates with shelters trying to place bigger breeds.
Hill's Pet Nutrition served as presenting sponsor of the 2026 Clear The Shelters campaign and distributed free sample bags of pet food to people adopting at participating locations in August, according to the same greatergood.com report that detailed Driver's recovery. The 2026 adoption campaign ran from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, with fundraising taking place from July 15 through Sept. 15, and it was hosted by more than 100 NBC and Telemundo stations that partnered with more than 1,200 shelters across 153 markets in 47 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam, according to NBCUniversal.
This year's push helped more than 135,000 pets find new homes and raised nearly $500,000 for participating animal shelters, the company reports. Since the campaign's 2015 launch, Clear The Shelters has led to nearly 1.5 million pet adoptions and raised more than $6 million in donations overall.
What Long Beach’s Shelter Data Shows
Long Beach’s open-data portal describes its Animal Shelter Data as intake and outcome records from the Long Beach Animal Shelter, a separate source from spcaLA’s Long Beach facility. The portal provides a place to examine local records, but the figures cited here do not establish recent year-by-year totals for dog intakes, adoptions or outcomes. As a historical measure for the separate Long Beach Animal Care Services system, spcaLA reported live release rates of 84% for cats and 94% for dogs during 2010–2019, according to the City of Long Beach open-data portal and spcaLA. spcaLA lists its P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center at 7700 East Spring St. in Long Beach. A separate local example of agencies coordinating on dog placement came in July 2017, when Live Love Animal Rescue and Long Beach Animal Care Services partnered on an effort that took in 29 dogs—19 from the shelter and 10 stray intercepts, the Long Beach Post reported.
The rescue story has also been recounted by Bored Panda writer Raquel Teixeira. The campaign totals offer one measure of Clear The Shelters' reach; for Hutcherson, his bond with Driver and Manchi is a personal reminder of why adoption matters. He has said adoption has always been close to his heart and encouraged people not to wait to look for a shelter pet.
