Auto Writers Drive Cross Country To Rescue Dogs

I recently spent four days driving a soon-to-be put-out-to-pasture 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe about 1,600 miles as part of a dog rescue mission.

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During about half of those miles, I had several well-behaved Beagles crated in the cargo area. I was surprised at how quiet they were. Turns out the rescue they came from had given them hemp treats, so that explains the first day, anyway. The Santa Fe, which is being replaced in the spring with an all-new model, actually held up pretty well, despite having 11,000 miles on it before I even started the drive to Omaha from Detroit.

That’s a lot of miles for a press fleet vehicle, which is probably why Hyundai was on board with a group of auto journalists putting yet another 2,380 miles on it. Normally vehicles get pulled from the fleet once they hit a certain number of miles since the automakers want to make only the best impressions for those writing vehicle reviews. (Clearly Chevrolet didn’t get the memo. Yikes.) I found a lot to like about the Santa Fe, most definitely the heated and very comfortable seats. There’s nothing like a long road trip to make you accept or deny what the automakers tout about seat ergonomics. But neither I nor my co-drivers — The Fast Lane’s Nathan Adlen or Forbes’ Teia Collier — had any complaints. What I didn’t like was the crappy gas mileage.

My co-drivers and I averaged about 23 mpg, which isn’t close to the “up to 28 mpg highway” per Hyundai’s website. In fairness, we pushed the vehicle pretty hard, especially across rural parts of Wyoming where the speed limit was 80 mph and there weren’t many cops (thank you, Waze, for alerting us to the few there were.) Hyundai, which also donated $5,000, was one of four automakers who loaned us vehicles for the transport. The others were Nissan (Pathfinder), Ford (Expedition) and Subaru (Crosstrek). Honda also offered up a Pilot for the last leg of the journey — some of the dogs were continuing on to Seattle. Other contributors to the $30,000 raised to cover gas, hotels and food included Infiniti, DriveShop Detroit and Seattle and many individuals. Journalists covered the cost of flights to Omaha and then home from Portland, Oregon or whatever city they bailed at — in my case, Salt Lake City.

The event’s name — Operation Frodo 1650 — was inspired by a dog (named Frodo) that was saved and adopted last year by auto journalist and TV personality Nik Miles during a similar transport along with the approximate number of miles from Omaha to Portland (1,650). We had 10 Beagles in our care and two Boston Terriers who left the transport in Denver, our first stop. Their rescue group heard about the drive and asked if we could find room for the dogs, which of course we did. So why drive a bunch of dogs across the country? Aren’t there rescues and adoptions happening in every major city? If that thought crossed your mind, you aren’t alone. There are already several snarky comments on an earlier story posted by the Drive.

I expect reaction to this story as well. However, transports are (mostly) supported by groups including the ASPCA , the Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund. Of course, there’s still the chance of displacing the adoption of an animal in the state where the dogs are being transported to, especially if the resident dog in need isn’t a cute puppy like four of the dogs that we hauled. The dogs came from Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland in Omaha, where a surplus of dogs are waiting for homes. The rescue places 300 dogs every year. The destination is Cascade Beagle Rescue and Seattle Beagle Rescue in the Pacific Northwest, where foster and adoptive homes are waiting to hook these dogs up with forever homes and families.

I’ve done cross-border transports from the U.S. to Canada for many years. There are many other transports of rescued animals happening year-round. It’s pretty much supply and demand. There are a lot of Beagles in the South, some from puppy mills and others dumped by hunters at the end of the season. There aren’t a lot of Beagles in the Pacific Northwest. So, despite the time and expense, it’s worth the effort.

“Every mile we traveled brings these furry friends closer to a life full of love and happiness. We are making a real difference,” Miles told me. “We all decided to be a solution, not just concerned citizens.”

Miles founded Animal Rescue Rigs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds dedicated animal transport vehicles to donate to rescues nationwide. Individuals or businesses who wish to support the ongoing effort can donate through the Animal Rescue Rigs website. It was an easy ask of the automakers. A handful of TV and radio stations have covered the story and all of the journalists involved are writing stories along with posting on social media (look for #OperationFrodo.)

“This is a cause that is close to many of our team members’ hearts,” says Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer, Hyundai Motor America. I had breakfast with Angela a month ago and asked for the donation of a vehicle, any vehicle, and she quickly said yes. It was that easy. The trip wasn’t without stress. There were a lot of egos involved (auto journalists with egos? What?) but everyone ultimately came together to get the work done. I’m used to being a leader but I happily deferred to Miles and Harvey Briggs, the other ringleader of our three-ring circus.

I discovered that, like me, all of the other volunteers are pet owners, and pet owners are kind of like parents: Everyone has different expectations and ideas of acceptable behavior from kids, or in this case, dogs. There were several instances of dogs peeing on sheets in the beds at the pet-friendly hotels we stayed at along the route. A TV remote control was also chewed up. I watched one of my co-drivers oblivious to a dog peeing on the carpet in the lobby at one hotel. I guess I’m more of a disciplinarian, probably as a result of my own wild teenage years — push a car down the driveway in neutral and go for a joyride? Of course! So my tolerance for bad behavior isn’t high. I crate my own dogs at night when I’m in a hotel room and only allow them on the bed very minimally.

I’d be mortified if they chewed anything or peed anywhere. But if others are OK with the chaos, that’s their call. Thankfully we all had our own hotel rooms and the La Quintas where we stayed along the way were tolerant. Miles is already making plans to repeat the effort next year and I will likely sign up again, especially if I’m able to help by bringing a vehicle from the Detroit fleet. I love animals, I enjoy driving and it feels good to do something that makes a difference. “Through the team’s efforts, these dogs are not just finding homes, they’re finding a family, thanks to hours of commitment,” Miles says. “The commitment to this cause is inspiring – together, we not just moving animals, but also moving hearts.” Who says journalists are cynics?