Friday morning, Peltier-Subaru in Tyler hosted SPCA of East Texas with three of their many adoptable dogs as part of a ‘meet and greet’ initiative.
“We’re doing this today to raise awareness… get more people involved and adopt animals,” said Lauren Shults, marketing and media relations manager for Peltier-Subaru in Tyler.
Known for their iconic dog commercials — a family of golden retrievers known as the Barkleys — Subaru of America demonstrates their continuous love for canines with its fifth annual Make A Dog’s Day. Held each year on Oct. 22, the event is in conjunction with Subaru Loves Pets initiative that occurs every October.
“This year, Oct. 22nd fell on a Sunday and we decided to have it on the 27th,” Shults said.
According to Subaru’s website, they are the largest corporate donor to ASPCA. The auto company has donated $51 million to national and local organizations, which has supported the adoption, rescue, transport, and health of over 420,000 animals.
“Subaru believes all pets deserve a loving home,” Shults said. “That’s why this year we’ve partnered up with SPCA of East Texas and Pets Fur People. We’re trying to encourage people to adopt from both of these facilities.”
To boost the call to action, SPCA of East Texas brought Grady and Willa – two puppies of the same litter – and Tron, a mixed mutt, all looking for forever homes.
“We get, on average, between 25 to 50 calls every day of people needing to surrender dogs and cats,” said Karen Kilgore, adoption and foster coordinator for the SPCA of East Texas. “So we have a huge problem in East Texas.”
Right now, the rescue organization has around 200 dogs and cats in need of homes — and they’re hoping to be able to make a continuous push with the Make A Dog’s Day event at the dealership.
“We also go out and (help with) cruelty and neglect and rescue animals, and help assist with some of those cases,” Kilgore said. “We do a lot of good work here in East Texas.”
Shults said through the Subaru Loves Pets, the dealership and its retailers have been committed to improving the lives of as many shelter animals as possible.
“A good portion of our customer base consists of dog and cat lovers so this is a good location and area,” she said. “We like to provide a meeting space and just get the word out. We want to help get more animals into good, loving homes.”