Photo courtesy of Erie County SPCA in West Seneca, New York.

We have teamed up once again with Subaru of America, Inc. and its retailers to help animals in need across the country, with a focus on supporting shelter animals with special needs—lovingly called the “Underdogs.” 

In 2023, the grant program distributed $766,770 to 189 animal welfare organizations across 43 states and Washington, D.C., with the grant funding supporting a variety of pet events in partnership with local Subaru retailers. In addition to adoptions, many of these events provided critical services for animals in need, including microchipping, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries and more. 

Family photo before taking their new pup, Snoopy, home from an adoption event co-hosted by Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center and DCH Subaru of Riverside in Riverside, California.

“The excitement and buzz of our adoption event with DCH Subaru of Riverside led to a line of people waiting for our doors to open,” said Molly Shannon, Marketing Manager at Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Riverside, California. “We haven’t had a line of people waiting to adopt in such a long time. It was great to see people anxiously awaiting to give a second chance for a homeless pet.”

Helping Animals Find Homes Nationwide

This year, pet events took place throughout the month of October in honor of Subaru Loves Pets^® month and collectively impacted thousands of animals in need, like Roxanne, a 13-year-old cat who was brought to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen, Massachusetts, when her owner passed away. Unfortunately, no one else in the family was able to take her in, leaving her in need of a new home. Finding a home for a senior pet can be difficult especially when they have medical complications, like Roxanne, who suffers from hyperthyroidism and early-stage kidney disease. 

Roxanne was one of the animals available for adoption during the event co-hosted by MSPCA at Nevins Farm and AutoFair Subaru. Promotion for the event drew the attention of a special family, who learned about the urgent need for a “hero adopter” on social media and decided to attend the event to meet Roxanne. It was a perfect match, and Roxanne is now happily living her golden years with a new family who can provide her with the care and love she deserves. 

Senior feline, Roxanne, is now living her golden years with her new family!

After months of living in the Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center in Great Falls, Montana, a sweet black cat named Jett found his long-awaited home on the first day of the shelter’s collaboration with Great Falls Subaru. The staff was very excited to see their longest-stay feline find a loving home with the help of the discounted adoption fees made possible by the grant funding from the ASPCA and Subaru.

Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center found a home for their longest-stay feline, Jett, during their collaboration with Great Falls Subaru.

An “Underdog” named Lola found a new loving home during an adoption event hosted by The NOAH Center in partnership with Dwayne Lane’s Skagit Subaru in Stanwood, Washington. Lola was brought to The NOAH Center in June by her owners who had fallen on hard times and needed to find her a new home. Unfortunately, Lola was suffering from a recurring skin infection that made it difficult to find the right match for her. She also began to experience kennel stress due to her long stay in the shelter environment, causing her to be passed by time and time again, despite how much the staff raved about her. 

During their adoption event supported by Dwayne Lane’s Skagit Subaru, a family expressed interest in Lola! They had prior experience with both large dogs and dogs with skin conditions, and once they met Lola, they immediately adored her, and she loved them right back! This heartwarming adoption brought tears to the eyes of the staff at The NOAH Center, as well as Lola’s former foster parent who came by to wish her well in her new home. 

Lola finally off to her new home with this loving family! 

Meanwhile, in Santa Cruz, California, Ruby Sunshine had spent six weeks at the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter before finding a loving home during an adoption event in partnership with Santa Cruz Subaru. It was here that she received more exposure to the community and potential adopters and a total of 31 animals found new homes as a result of this collaboration. 

“We appreciate Subaru's continued commitment to homeless animals and animals in need in our community,” Megan Carroll, Animal Services Coordinator for the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter. “Our partnership event is always a wonderful way to connect to our local community members and feature adoptable animals who may normally be overlooked. The staff at Subaru is always welcoming, kind and supportive of our efforts here at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and we look forward to an ongoing, fruitful relationship with Santa Cruz Subaru.”

Ruby Sunshine was adopted at an event co-hosted by Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and Santa Cruz Subaru.

Marin Humane Society also hosted a month-long adoption event in partnership with Marin Subaru, during which a total of 142 animals found new, loving homes. 

“Every year we look forward to collaborating with the ASPCA and our local Subaru dealership to promote our adoptable animals,” said Keri Fennel, Vice President of Shelter Operations for Marin Humane Society. “The generous grant we received means funds earmarked in our budget for make-ready adoption expenses that can be used for lifesaving procedures for the most vulnerable in our care.”

Twila, a 60 lb. mixed breed puppy was one of the animals at Marin Humane Society who had been passed over for weeks due to her large size. Fortunately, during their event with Marin Subaru, two parents decided to surprise their three sons by adopting Twila into their family. The boys were thrilled to learn they were getting their first dog, and Twila was excited to have a fun and energetic family to love! 

This family has so much love to give! Twila now has three new brothers to play with thanks to the collaboration between Marin Humane Society & Marin Subaru in Novato, California.

Providing Care for the Community

Essential services for pet health and wellness were also funded by this lifesaving grant program. 

The Humane Society of Chittenden County in South Burlington, Vermont, hosted a free spay/neuter clinic in partnership with Burlington Subaru. A total of 22 dogs received free surgeries during the month of October thanks to the grant funding provided by the ASPCA and Subaru. 

“Our medical clinic staff were so grateful to be able to offer free spay and neuter surgeries for our Community Pet Clinic (CPC) clients,” said Emily Hecker, Director of Development for the Humane Society of Chittenden County. “Even with our CPC's reduced fees, for many pet owners of modest means, the cost of spay and neuter surgery was a barrier to accessing this critical care. Being able to provide this important service to our community was deeply appreciated by our staff and the recipients of the grant.”

Tavana is one of the 22 dogs who received free spay and neuter surgeries during the event hosted by the Humane Society of Chittenden County and Burlington Subaru in Vermont.

For the third year in a row, Routt County Humane Society and Cook Subaru partnered to provide a free microchip and vaccination clinic for the pets in their community in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. In this small, rural community where affordable veterinary care is lacking, the grant funding was able to provide these critical services for 59 animals. Nearly half of the participants who received services were unable to afford veterinary care for their pets and consistently relied on clinics like these to keep their pets happy and healthy. Several pet owners showed up an hour early and waited patiently for the event to begin and shared their appreciation for the clinic, which they look forward to each year to ensure their pets receive the proper care they need.

Pet owners lined up before the event started to ensure they could receive the services provided at the clinic hosted by Routt County Humane Society and Cook Subaru.

Continuing to Share the Love 

This grant program was made possible as a result of the ASPCA’s participation in the Subaru Share the Love^® Event. We look forward to participating again in the upcoming 2023 Subaru Share the Love Event beginning on November 16, so we can continue to find even more loving homes and provide critical services for animals in need across the country.

“We are incredibly appreciative to Southern Team Subaru for partnering with us for this adoption event and for Subaru Loves Pets month to help highlight our shelter pets,” said C. Denise Hayes, Chief Executive Officer of the Roanoke Valley SPCA. “We’ve seen shelters full locally and across the country, so this initiative to get pets into loving homes couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Mya (dog, left) and Crush (cat, right) with members of their new adoptive families, thanks to the adoption event co-hosted by Roanoke Valley SPCA and Southern Team Subaru in Roanoke, Virginia. 

Scroll to see a few more success stories that were made possible by this lifesaving program: 

(left) Lentle, now named Sharky, was adopted at an event co-hosted by SpokAnimal CARE and Subaru of Spokane in Spokane, Washington; (right) Michael, an employee of Subaru of Spokane, holding adoptable Margo at their event. 

Harley found his new loving home during an adoption event co-hosted by Humane Animal Welfare Society and Wilde Subaru in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

After four long months of waiting, Axel found his perfect pet parent at Humane Society of Cowlitz County in Longview, Washington, during their adoption event in partnership with Bud Clary Subaru.

The staff at Chatham Parkway Subaru assisting with their pet event hosted in partnership with One Love Animal Rescue in Savannah, Georgia.