16 Dogs, 13 Volunteers, 4 EVs, and a 1,811-Mile Rescue Mission
"This will change you forever." The first time I heard Nik Miles say that I didn't really understand what he meant. After all, I already had a dog, a big Labrador Retriever named Miles. What difference would it make that I was going to spend the next few days traveling cross country with a menagerie of two dozen rescued beagles headed for new homes? A lot it turned out.
That was 18 months ago and I've just finished my fourth "Operation Frodo," along with a dozen other volunteers – a mix of automotive journalists, analysts and PR folks. This trip we took 16 beagles from Omaha, Nebraska -- where the hounds were being fostered by members of a dedicated group of dog rescuers out to Portland, Oregon. Each canine had a hard-luck story: some rescued from cruel and uncaring puppy mills. Others found wandering homeless after being abandoned by hunters at the end of small game season. Several young puppies faced the prospect of winding up in medical research labs.
And then there was Honey, the miracle dog whom I spent four long days and nights with. A victim of a hit-and-run, she was left on the side of the road to die before a Good Samaritan scooped her up and got her to a veterinarian just in time. Her body had been badly broken, her left rear leg expected to need amputation. But Honey is nothing if not a spunky little soul who wouldn't quit. She started putting weight on the leg and the surgery was cancelled. Despite the hell she'd been through, Honey proved to be a delightful companion on an 1,811-mile adventure.
A Canine Crisis
If this year is like any other, about 6 million dogs and cats will wind up in shelters, millions more getting dumped on the streets. As many as 1 million will land in "kill shelters" and eventually be euthanized. But the problem has, if anything, grown worse lately. And you can add the challenge raised by efforts to end the use of dogs in medical research labs. A total of 1,635 beagles have been rescued from the now-closed Ridgland Farms in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Thousands more continue to be subject to research at other labs across the U.S.
This is where Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland plays an essential role. It's part of a network of rescues, shelters and humane societies spread across the country. Based in Omaha, it's made up of a loose-knit collection of dog lovers who open their homes up to lost and unwanted animals. Members like Kathi Ortmeier collectively foster as many as 350 beagles and bassets a year. The challenge is to then find the animal permanent homes.
(Nik) Miles to Go Before We Sleep
And here's where Nik Miles, a Portland-based journalist comes into the story. A dedicated dog lover, he'd lost a beloved beagle back in 2021 and his search for just the right successor somehow led him to Basset and Beagle. When Miles explained he was taking his new beagle back to Oregon he was asked if he could manage transporting four more of the group's rescues.
It turns out that the popularity of dog breeds is quite regional. Shepherds, for example, are wildly popular in the Mid-Atlantic states, while Labrador Retrievers top the list in California. Texans love French Bulldogs. Beagles, it turns out, are a favorite among dog fanciers along the Pacific Northwest.
"By moving (unwanted dogs) from one part of the country to another, you solve the problem," said Miles. Operation Frodo was born -- the name honoring a character in The Lord of the Rings, as well as the beagle Miles adopted.
Wyoming in the Winter
Driving from Omaha to Portland is no easy task in the middle of winter and that first trip was a challenging one. Miles and several fellow journalists who agreed to join him piloted a big Wagoneer loaned them by Jeep across Wyoming during the worst snowstorm in a century. At one point they slid off the road into a ditch but eventually dug out and slowly made their way to the Pacific Northwest.
I signed up for my first journey in December 2024 and, while the snow was far less onerous, the wind blowing across the Wyoming plains more than made up for it. "Gusts up to 80 mph," read the advisory signs, a figure that, along the East Coast would qualify as a hurricane. Our intrepid group made it through, though the trip took an unexpected turn for me. I fell in love with Melvyn, one of the older beagles, and decided to take him home. As he was too big to take into a Delta Airlines cabin I rented a car and made the return trip to Detroit solo. Last December I made my third rescue mission and, despite my wife's warning, fell in love once again – this time with a border collie/basset mix. Somehow, I convinced Delta to let me take Clyde onboard.
Laying Odds
Would I bring another dog home? That was the question everything was asking as I headed out for yet another Operation Frodo earlier this month. My wife Jennifer offered me the option: "You can bring another dog home," she said amiably enough. "But you might need to find somewhere else to live."
She hadn't reckoned on me bedding down with Honey.
Typically, each of the "Knights of Frodo," as Nik Miles has dubbed us, is assigned a couple dogs to watch each night. In my case, however, I only bedded down with Honey. I'd expected her to be a challenge considering the injuries she'd suffered in her hit-and-run. Other than needing to be lifted on the bed because she can't jump with that back leg, however, Honey was as active as any other beagle in the menagerie. And as much of a cuddler when it was time to bed down for the night. It grew harder and harder knowing I would have to hand her off once we reached our final stop in Portland. But I also knew that she had a wonderful home waiting for her out west – and that the family she'd go to had experience dealing with dogs who've had serious health issues. Still, I'd be lying if I didn't have a few tears (all right, a lot) streaking my face during our last midpoint stop in Ontario, Oregon.
Plugged In
Traveling along I-80 can pose challenges whatever time of year you choose. The good news: no ice storms this trip. And the wind gusts never reached more than 40 mph as we passed through Wyoming – though there were some serious storms, including a couple tornadoes, visible on the periphery of the radar map along our nearly 2,000-mile endeavor.
What was unique about this trip was our method of transportation. To the best of my knowledge this marked the first-ever long-distance dog rescue completed entirely using battery-electric vehicles: a Cadillac Escalade EV, a Hyundai Ioniq 9, a Kia EV9 and a Lucid Gravity. Credit goes to analyst – and dog lover – Sam Abuelsamid, of Telemetry Research, who has been taking part in Operation Frodo since 2024. "Part of the reason I wanted to use EVs was to prove you could drive long distances," he told me on the prior day's drive from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Salt Lake. "And we're driving across the American West, 2,000 miles, almost, from Omaha to Portland. I wanted to prove EVs could handle that."
Handle it, they did. We ran into only a couple modest issues: the Ioniq 9 fired off a rapid stream of alerts after charging up in mid-Nebraska. Waiting 15 minutes it was back up and running. But, over the course of the entire trip we never had to frantically search for places to plug in. The four vehicles delivered range reasonably close to what we expected and when we did plug in we found only one charger out of service. Sure, each stop took longer than filling up a gas tank but that wasn't a problem considering we all – dogs and humans alike – welcomed a potty stop and a chance to grab some snacks.
"This Will Change You"
Having not only taken part in four rescues – so far – and having brought home hounds Melvyn and Clyde, I realize Nik Miles was right. Operation Frodo does change you. It seems I'm not the only one who's come to realize that. "It's made me appreciate that even in a world where bad stuff is happening it feels like I'm doing something good, rather than sitting around doom-scrolling," said Abuelsamid, also a four-run veteran. It's the newbies who are often at a loss for words. "I think about this daily," freelance autowriter Jim Travers told me. "I think I got more out of this than the dogs did. I've wanted to volunteer for some time and this scratched the itch." He's already signed up for the next run in December. As has Mercedes Streeter, another first-timer who is about to head back out west to pick up Naomi, one of the beagles who was set to be fostered until a permanent owner was found.
Myself, I've stopped using that word. I no longer think of myself as "owning" my three hounds – which also includes Miles, the Lab mix we adopted in 2023 – as well as three cats. Sorry if it sounds too "New Age," but I am their "Kahu," a much more appropriate term native Hawaiians use. It translates as "guardian," "protector," or "caretaker." It means "You've formed a sacred bond," explained dear friend Emily Gail, a long-time resident of the Big Island.
In the case of Operation Frodo, it's a bond joining a growing network of volunteers and the now more than 100 dogs who've been rescued since Nik Miles first went looking for a new beagle. You can't ask for much more than that.
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 7:00 PM.