The 2023 Subaru Share the Love^® Event helped raise funds, spread awareness and encourage community involvement for our vulnerable animals nationwide. Now that the campaign has concluded, it’s time to share the love forward this new year!

Whether it’s adopting or fostering an animal in need, donating to your local animal shelter or performing a simple act of kindness, Subaru and the ASPCA encourage you to share the love in your community. To help inspire you, read the incredible journey of two adorable animals below!

Susan H. has been a volunteer at the ASPCA for over 20 years. In that time, she and her late husband adopted five wonderful dogs from the ASPCA Adoption Center, all of whom had different needs that Susan felt she and her husband could take care of. She has many precious memories of all of them over the years, each of them special in their own way.

Last February, Susan decided that she was interested in adopting a cat for the first time. She then saw 11-year-old Cooper while browsing the ASPCA website and was taken by his sweet appearance. He’d spent a good amount of time receiving medical care at the ASPCA, but she says he’s since recovered very well. Cooper soon settled into his new home, and Susan into a new routine with her feline friend.

However, soon after adopting Cooper and seeing him settle in, Susan felt that she still missed having a dog, and was hoping she could find the right one for her home.

“Cooper is a wonderful cat, but I missed having a dog and going out on walks with them,” Susan says.

Then last April, while she was volunteering, Susan met Broccoli for the first time.

Broccoli had come from a home where he was living with 44 other dogs in deplorable conditions, surrounded by waste and decay. The dogs were all removed from the house and brought to the ASPCA. Many were transferred to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center in Columbus, Ohio, where they would receive ongoing care and rehabilitation, while a few others remained at the ASPCA Canine Annex for Recovery and Enrichment (CARE) in New York City.

Broccoli, upon intake.

Broccoli, who was ten years old at the time, was among the older dogs from this home, so he was one of the ones who stayed at CARE. He eventually moved to the Adoption Center, where Susan would find him.

“I saw Broccoli lying on his bed in his kennel, looking very forlorn,” Susan says. “So, I took him for a walk, and we seemed to get along pretty well.”

Within a few days, Susan knew that he was the right dog for her, and she brought him home.

“He’s been a very sweet, very nice companion,” Susan says.

As with many cats and dogs, introducing Cooper and Broccoli to each other took some time.

“Cooper came first, so I spent a lot of time with him,” Susan says. “And then Broccoli came in, and I was taking him outside and spending more time with him. I think that Cooper didn’t like that!”

Broccoli also needed some gentle encouragement to feel comfortable in a new home and was hesitant when going on walks.

With time and patience, Cooper came around to the new living arrangements, and Broccoli started to become more relaxed during walks, holding his head and tail up as he explores the neighborhood. The two of them are quite content to share their peaceful home together now.

And when it comes to having pets in their golden years, Susan doesn’t think twice about their ages. She tells us that it’s been especially rewarding to show her adopted animals a loving home and help care for them.

“Admittedly, they won’t live as long as adopting a puppy, but it’s a much better feeling,” Susan says. “Less work, too!”