Thinking Of Buying A Car?
Consider Shopping With The Dealerships That Support Their Communities & Animal Rescue.
BRANDON HONDA owner John Marazzi and his family have long had a passion for dogs. Not just any dogs, though. Rescue dogs. A few years ago, John strolled in to Downtown Dogs in Hyde Park while they were hosting adopt- able dogs from Elizabeth Animal Rescue Sanctuary (E.A.R.S.). Zeus immediately caught John’s attention. Zeus’s mom had been dropped of at a kill shelter just two weeks before giving birth to her puppies. Mom and her pups were pulled from the shelter and taken in by the volunteers at E.A.R.S. Zeus was adopted by John and they go everywhere together. Zeus is the spokesdog for Brandon Honda and has acted as John’s sidekick in many of the dealership’s commercials. The dealership even celebrated Zeus’s first birthday party, com- plete with cake and balloons. TEST DRIVING A CARWITH THE FAMILY DOG. Dogs are part of the family, and shop-
ping for a car is often a family affair. More auto dealerships are encouraging cus- tomers to bring their dogs along while shopping for a car. According to Sam Raabe, General Manager of Brandon Honda, many pet owners prefer to bring their pets with them when they know they are going to be away from home for more than a short time. “If they know they’re going to be at a dealership to buy or service a car for a couple of hours, they often choose to bring their pets along rather than leave them unattended (and maybe anxious) at home,” said Raabe. More folks are traveling with their
pets - whether it’s daily excursions to the dog park or a vacation. So making sure the new car will be easily accessible to the family pet has become equally as impor- tant to customers. Sun Toyota goes a step further by bringing the car shopping
38 THE NEW BARKER
Zeus, John Marazzi and Athena.
experience right to one’s home or busi- ness with their innovative Showroom2Go delivery. The dealership will bring a new or used car to the customer for a test drive or just to see if it fits in their garage. Other pet-related reasons why
people might want to bring their pet to a car dealership or arrange for Showroom2Go delivery: lTo test the fit of one or more carriers. lTo test the space to sit, recline and ride comfortably. lWill he be able to see out the window?
Both Sun Toyota and Brandon
Honda maintain dedicated dog runs for customers’ dogs, complete with doggie bags and trash cans. Dogs visiting the dealerships receive special dog treats and an opportunity to meet and play with Zeus and his new companion, Athena. She was recently adopted by the Marazzi family, just hours from being euthanized.
Y
Sun Toyota and Brandon Honda are part of the Morgan Auto Group, co-hosts with THE NEW BARKER of the annual JUST ONE
DAY event in June. The next one will be on June 11, 2017 at Morgan Auto Group dealerships located in Brandon, Tampa, Holiday, Sarasota, New Port Richey, Gainesville and Ocala. Rescue groups interested in participating should contact Anna Cooke by March 1, 2017.
anna@thenewbarker.com
Sun Toyota, 3001 US Highway 19, Holiday. Brandon Honda, 9209 East Adamo Drive, Tampa.
E.A.R.S. is a 501(c)3 non-profit located in Odessa. Call 813.355.6285 or visit
EARSRescue.org
www.TheNewBarker.com
Photograph by Jacqui Silla.
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