Jose and Tammy Vega arrived at the Camden County Animal Shelter in New Jersey early Saturday morning in search of a four-legged companion. The couple, who was first in line at the facility for its Clear the Shelters event, fell in love with a 7-year-old stray Chihuahua named Pot Pie.

“He was just really calm tempered, my wife looked over and saw him and we knew he was ‘the one,'” Jose Vega told NBC Philadelphia’s Jessica Boyington. 

Clear the Shelters, the fourth annual pet adoption drive sponsored

More than 91,900 pets were adopted since this year’s event was launched last month, over 26,000 on Saturday alone. To encourage families to find a new pet, whether a cat, dog, ferret, rabbit or bird, many of the participating animal shelters and rescue organizations reduced or waived adoption fees.

At the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook, Maine, workers were hopeful that 13-year-old June Bug, a “sato” — feral dog in Puerto Rico — rescued after Hurricane Maria, would finally get the companion she deserved. June Bug had been at the shelter since the winter and on Saturday, she was adopted by a woman “who came in specifically for her,” said Jeana Roth, director of community engagement at the shelter. 

“We all cried,” Roth added. 

Holly, another dog born on the streets of Puerto Rico, ended up going home with a Nothern California couple. Holly was originally sent to Miami to be adopted but due to the devastating Hurricane Irma she was transferred again, this time to Berkeley, where she found her forever family on Saturday. 

“If I can give a shelter animal a good home, whether they’re traumatized or not, I’m doing what I should be doing,” said Erik Hesse, a UC Berkeley professor who adopted Holly.

Cleo, a Husky mix, was also in need of a good home. The 5-year-old dog was rescued on July 4 from a sweltering hoarder house in Selden, New York, with no food or water. Pat, from Queens Village, had adopted “the best cat ever” 20 years ago from Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation in Wantagh, and returned to the shelter on Saturday in search of a new furry companion. Pat set her heart on Cleo and the once abandoned Husky will now live his best life thanks to Pat.