We all know the statistics are grim: millions of dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year. Filmmaker Steve Latham is hoping to change that with his PBS series ‘Shelter Me’.

‘Shelter Me’, which is set to air its 4th episode on October 8, documents the personal stories of shelter animals, particularly those that are running are out of time in high-kill shelters.

October’s episode is entitled “New Beginnings” and features volunteers in Idaho welcoming a packed plane full of California shelter pooches, as well as a trainer teaching shelters how to hold play groups for shelter dogs. The next episode, set to air in February 2015, will tell the stories of shelter-pups-turned-police-dogs at East Coast police departments.

Filming the show really impressed upon filmmaker Steve Latham the urgency behind shelter pets getting adopted; he started a website, ShelterMe.com, that helps set up adoption events and coordinates flights full of pooches (like the one described above) to other states and cities where they’re placed with rescue groups or no-kill shelters and are more likely to be adopted. There is often intense competition between public shelter and the no-kill movement to get these animals adopted; Latham hopes to bring the two sides together for the benefit of shelter animals everywhere.

The pets featured on the Shelter Me website come from twenty-five different shelters in California, Idaho, Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina. To date, thousands of animals facing euthanasia have been profiled on the site and most of them have been adopted or taken in by a rescue.

You can also search for a pet by size, age, sex and personality, so you’ll be able to find the furry friend who’s just right for you. So if you’re looking for a rescue animal, now you’ve got a great place to start.

And don’t forget — “Shelter Me: New Beginnings” airs October 8 on PBS. We’ll be watching and you should, too!

[Source: ABC News]