Subaru loves the Earth. It loves to care, help, and make knowledge available to all. Lastly, Subaru loves pets. These are all vows the brand took under the Love Promise, the automaker’s vision to show the love and respect it has for those around. But during this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday, our focus is on the Subaru Loves Pets, an initiative through which the automaker manifests the care it has for animals,  encouraging pet lovers to adopt a furry friend, even those that are a bit “different.”

The company sticks to its promise and so, it dedicates every October to pets. The annual initiative is known as Subaru Loves Pets month and reflects the brand’s pledge to support shelter dogs, especially those with special needs — such as older, blind, or deaf — to find a forever home. But the automaker felt there was room for more: In 2015, and by joining forces with the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), it created Make A Dog’s Day aiming to inspire people to adopt rather than shop. To convince the world about pet adoption, Subaru showed how good it feels to make a dog’s day. As of 2019, the National Make A Dog’s Day is celebrated on October 22nd.

In 2021, the brand marked the event with a series of short spots, having as protagonists a group of hard-to-adopt (but adorable) shelter pets, lovingly called the “Underdogs.” Aside from putting the spotlight on these dogs with special needs and encouraging people to take such pets home, the automaker used this opportunity to also invite pet lovers to do something memorable for their pawrfect friends on October 22nd. Then, the dog owners were kindly asked to share these happy moments on social media using the #MakeADogsDay hashtag.

“Pets add so much joy to our lives and, in October, Subaru dedicates the month to returning that love to our furry friends at home, as well as shelter pets in need of loving homes,” explained Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Subaru of America, Inc. “We encourage anyone looking to welcome a pet into their family to consider adopting an “Underdog” this month. And if you can’t adopt at this time, we invite you to donate to a local shelter or do something special for a dog in your life.”

More than 600 Subaru retailers supported the initiative, hosting in-person and virtual adoption events throughout the month. Thanks to them and to their partner shelters, the brand helped nearly 60,000 shelter pets find their humans. Throughout the partnership with ASPCA, Subaru of America Inc. — which is the organization’s largest corporate donor — has donated more than $30 million to help keep animals safe and healthy, contributing to changing thousands of animals’ lives for the better.

“It’s because of them that we can continue to fulfill our commitment to loving pets and finding them even more loving homes,” says Subaru. A simple statement, yet one that shows that the brand is, indeed, more than a car company. Below you can meet Lola and Frida, two remarkable dogs, both with physical impairments. If you want to discover more about them and the rest of the Underdogs group, head over to the campaign’s website, as there are more pups wagging their tails in the hope that their stories will raise awareness about the importance of adopting dogs in need.

Credits:

Subaru