Actor Josh Hutcherson visits California animal shelter to promote adoptions

Animals at one California shelter got to spend time with a celebrity this week.

Actor Josh Hutcherson stopped by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles location in Long Beach on Tuesday as he advocates for shelter pet adoptions.

The visit included Hutcherson touring the facility, volunteering, walking dogs and playing with kittens.

“I’ve always loved animals and there’s a lot of great animals out there that need to find some good homes,” “The Hunger Games” and “I Love LA” star told NBCUniversal Local.

Hutcherson has teamed up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition for the second straight year to support Clear The Shelters, NBCU Local’s annual pet adoption and donation campaign.

The 33-year-old actor is a proud shelter dog dad to 14-year-old Driver and 11-year-old Manchi, both of whom are large pit bulls. Hutcherson was 19 when he adopted Driver before bringing home Manchi a couple years later, saying that they’ve been with him “through thick and thin.”

He described his lovable 70-pound canines as “lick you to the death kind of dogs.”

“It can be overwhelming, the idea of adopting an animal. But if you just lead with love and good intention, then it’s gonna work out,” Hutcherson said.

“Even if you’re not ready to fully adopt yet, you can donate, you can volunteer,” he added. “There’s a lot you can do to be involved with this.”

Hutcherson wants to see all pets find forever homes, but he’s hoping his voice and personal experience can drive adoptions for large dogs, specifically.

Large dogs are among the harder-to-place pets; they spent 70% more time in shelters than small dogs on average in 2025, according to Hill’s State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report.

“I think [large dogs] can get like a bad rap for being scary or for being too much to handle, or something like that,” Hutcherson said. “But even like a Great Dane is actually a great small apartment dog and…like some smaller dogs actually need more space.

“So breaking down some of the stereotypes of big dogs is important for me.”

Clear The Shelters’ adoption campaign is being held for the entire month of August, with the donation push running through Sept. 15.

For more information on Clear The Shelters, including participating shelters, along with details on local events and television programming, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com. Follow Clear The Shelters on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. 

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