Read his requirements. 2 kid seats and a medium kennel. The current Forester really isn't much bigger than yours (check the specs, you'll be surprised) so there's no room for cargo once with those items in there. Plus it can't tow (as you mentioned). Plus, there's no way you're fitting 8' boards inside.
I know, we have a '15 Forester. It replaced a 2012 GMC Acadia. Now, the Acadia is a vehicle that can easily handle everything the OP wants; tow 5000 lbs, room for kids/dog/cargo, 4x8 plywood lays flat inside (not sure if that's still true for 2013+ as there is a design refresh), etc. The only place it suffers is desired MPG. The AWD model is rated 21 or 22 hwy. FWD is slightly better but OP wants AWD. It's also massive but you can't have your cake and eat it too!
Yea, I dont think Forester is ideal, Outback is a bit bigger, but they are $$$$$ these days...
I do think he should consider Ford though.
35K gives lots of Options....
Escape may be too small, but if it works in terms of size, OP is golden.
Otherwise, Flex and Explorer are in the budget.
Flex is a bit more vanlike, but has tons of space, can tow well, and is advertised with 25mpg highway.
I dont think the Explorer is worth getting since the Flex looks like a better option to me, but, worth taking a peak.
GMC makes some very solid vehicles, but the Acadia had some issues early on, cant speak for newer years though, I would expect them to be better once the growing pains wore off.
Interesting site, might be useful, might not be, don't put TOO much faith into it though ....
http://tradeinqualityindex.com/
As far as 2015 forester vs 2008, the 2015 has around 10-15% more space... It may not be that much, but, the seats are a lot better in the new models, so there is better leg room and the car is a bit wider. Yes, the wider pillars due to more rigorous safety standards to reduce the gains to interior space ... but it it a little bit bigger.
Happy hunting