By Ellen R. Delisio
Lots of people say they stand up for underdogs. But not everyone welcomes them into their showrooms. That’s what some Subaru retailers do every October as part of a 17-year partnership between Subaru and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
More than 600 Subaru retailers work with animal shelters in their communities, even holding adoption events in their showrooms. Through the Subaru Loves Pets program, they provide funds and supplies to shelters and cover adoption and vet costs for pets seeking loving homes. New owners are presented with Pet Parent kits curated by Staples and Bark, which include supplies they will need for their new family member.
As the largest corporate sponsor of the ASPCA, Subaru has donated more than $38 million to the organization throughout their partnership and helped to treat, transport, rescue, and home more than 134,000 animals across the United States.
Just this year, Subaru and its retailers provided more than $3 million in direct funding through grants administered by the ASPCA to help get animals ready for adoption.
“We’re very selective with whom we partner. When we were invited to participate in the Subaru Share the Love Event, it quickly became clear that there were shared values,” said Matthew Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “Subaru understands the importance of being a good corporate citizen, not just for customers, but the importance of doing good as a business.”
Not to mention that Subaru is a highly regarded and visible company, which made it a natural choice. “It’s a household brand name with a sterling reputation, not just for its products, but how it conducts itself,” Bershadker continued.
Just like the nonprofit, Subaru is driven to find all pets a loving home. Shelters house about 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats across the United States, according to the ASPCA. Through the Subaru Loves Pets program, the automaker and its retailers have committed to improving the lives of as many shelter animals as possible.
“This is a partnership rooted in the alignment of values, which benefits the community and saves lives through our shared goals,” Bershadker said. “We are grateful for our longstanding partnership with Subaru.”
Both the ASPCA and Subaru are especially passionate about helping overlooked “underdogs” (older or disabled shelter dogs) find loving homes. Subaru created National Make a Dog’s Day, which annually takes place on October 22, for dog owners to spoil their pets and encourage people to foster or adopt underdogs.
“They are older, they sit in shelters longer and many are victims of abuse,” said Bershadker, who fostered and adopted an underdog himself. “Some have medical and behavior problems. Subaru is helping people to see these animals in a different light.”
The ASPCA uses science-based behavior programs to help abused animals recover from their trauma. “Their capacity to forgive and trust humans again after they have suffered is amazing,” Bershadker said.
Bershadker recently adopted an underdog named Whiskey, who came to the ASPCA as a victim of abuse and neglect, with her hair knotted, wounds down to the bone and requiring the removal of more than 20 teeth. Bershadker started fostering her in January, and when she was officially surrendered to the ASPCA in March, he adopted her. Since then, she has grown from seven pounds to almost 10. “She is the type of dog Subaru is helping us celebrate,” he said. “The most difficult adoptions are especially great because we know these animals are finally getting the second chance they deserve.”
Adoption events also have a ripple effect on shelters, he added, freeing up critical resources to help the remaining animals and opening space for others. They also influence how people think about and treat animals, after seeing how some of them have suffered.
The helping hand is needed as animal welfare agencies work to recover from the pandemic, which stretched limited resources thin. “Many of the shelters are still at or near capacity,” Bershadker said.
Pet adoptions did not soar during the pandemic as numerous people believed. Instead, many shelters housed and fostered pets while their owners were sick with COVID or faced financial setbacks.
“We did a fair amount of emergency boarding,” Bershadker said. “The cost of vet care, the lack of access to vet care, a shortage of veterinarians and vet technicians, and limited pet-friendly housing, as well as economic uncertainty, made caring for a pet difficult.”
Those challenges for shelters and the people and pets they serve continued as costs of living rose over recent years. “The country is still struggling. Shelters are continuing to lean into fostering, and some shelters started programs to help keep pets in homes,” he said. “One or two things go wrong [for a family], and the safety net fails them. You can see the power of human-animal bonds and how it helps people heal.”
Not only does the partnership with Subaru raise awareness about the plight of animals in shelters, but it also helps celebrate those human-animal bonds, Bershadker added. “I love the local reach the partnership brings,” he said, referring to Subaru retailers working with local shelters. “We’re all trying to change the fate of animals together.”
This article series is sponsored by Subaru of America and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.
