Fees half off on Pet Adoption Day

COEUR d’ALENE — Locals will remember it all started with Toyota Yoda in the mid-'80s. Doug Parker brought his blocky bull terrier to appear in commercials by his side and the rest is history.

“No one had dogs in commercials back then and we wanted to do something different. With our love for dogs, it was a natural fit,” said Kyeli Reinert, Parker’s daughter and HR director for Parker Toyota/Subaru.

That love for dogs carried on with the family’s TV star Labrador retrievers Lucky and Sunny, who passed the bone down to Puddles, Sunshine, and the newest addition, Jaxson. Lucky’s face even became the logo for the dealerships, but the family’s love for pets is more than symbolic.

For anyone interested in adopting a cat or dog, the dealership will pay for half the fees at the Parker Subaru Pet Adoption Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at 314 W. Clayton Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.

Dogs and cats from area shelters and rescues will be on-hand and ready for adoption at the event, including pets from Companions Animal Shelter (previously named Kootenai Humane Society), Spokane Humane Society, Shoshone Pet Rescue, Path of Hope Rescue, Spokanimal, Furry Farm Rescue, SCRAPS and Superhero Pug Rescue.

“The good folks at Parker Subaru have been supporting the life-saving mission at the Kootenai Humane Society for years,” said Vicky Nelson, development director for Companions Animal Shelter, which has changed its name from the Kootenai Humane Society. “We are so grateful to be included in their annual Adoption Day again this Friday so we can have more animals adopted into loving homes.”

This is the first time the event will be held on a weekday while the dealership is still open, but having dogs on site is nothing new. There is an open door policy for furry friends in the showroom with dog treats put out next to the coffee.

“It adds a little bit of chaos, but it lightens the mood too. We love it,” Reinert said.