The dogs, cats, birds, rats, rabbits, and other animals that we surround ourselves with are more than just companions. For many, a beloved animal is a member of the family. But some animals don’t always get to live in their forever home, at least not at first. Here in the Midwest, helpless beagles end up abandoned, injured, and neglected. Next week, I will be joining an army of car journalists and rescue organizations to give two dozen dogs new homes across the country in the Pacific Northwest. This is Operation Frodo, and it might be the most heartwarming thing you’ll read all week.
The Midwest has a growing problem that’s hiding in plain sight. The beagle is adored by millions of people all over the world for its cute looks, friendly attitude, and playful nature. Beagles also have an exceptional ability to track other animals by scent, making them a favorite of hunters. You’d think that nobody would want to cause harm to such a lovely creature, but there’s a dark side to America’s adoration of beagles.
Here in the Midwest, beagles are pumped out of puppy mills, bred for medical research, and used for hunting. Thousands of these dogs end up in tragic situations. When hunters are done for a season, sometimes they abandon their beagles. Meanwhile, the hundreds of dogs flowing in from puppy mills aren’t always sold, and the ones that are not often get abandoned. Other dogs live in dire conditions in research facilities, are used for medical experimentation, or are disposed of when they’re no longer productive breeders. To give you an example of what it’s like out here, last month, ABC News Nightline reported on a testing facility in Wisconsin that activists have been trying to free thousands of dogs from for a decade:
As ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported last month, Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy purchased 1,500 beagles from the facility. Thankfully, over 700 people have already stepped up to adopt those dogs, and the organizations believe they will be able to find all of the animals fitting homes.
Operation Frodo
Credit: Animal Rescue Rigs
There are many other beagles out here in the Midwest who are also looking for their own forever homes. Many of those beagles will be able to find their forever homes thanks to an army of car journalists, rescue organizations, and cars graciously loaned by automakers.
Back in 2021, auto journalist Nik Miles, whose work can be seen on NBC Sports, WPIX, KTLA, Fox5, and WGN, had a hole in his life after his own beagle, Joey, passed. As Nik searched for a new friend, he discovered the Bassett and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland (BBRH), which had a lovely beagle named Frodo who needed a new home.
Coincidentally, Nik’s other dogs, like Samwise, were also named after characters from The Lord of the Rings. Taking it as fate, Nik decided to bring Frodo home. Only, there was just one problem - Frodo was in Nebraska while Nik was in Oregon. So, he hatched an idea to embark on an epic quest, just like in The Lord of the Rings, to get Frodo to Portland. Nik takes over to tell the rest of the story:
My husband Lowell and I saw the need after bringing him home. What started as one rescue quickly became something much bigger. During that first journey, we faced some of the harshest conditions imaginable - minus 70-degree wind chills in Wyoming, closed highways, dangerous ice, and a tragic moment when an ambulance that had passed us was later struck by a truck, resulting in the loss of two paramedics. That trip changed us forever and revealed just how urgent the rescue crisis had become across the Midwest. The Midwest faces a growing problem with abandoned hunting dogs, overcrowded shelters, puppy mills, and dogs released from testing facilities. Operation Frodo was created to help move dogs from overcrowded Midwest rescues to loving homes and rescue organizations on the West Coast, where adoption demand is higher and more resources are available.
Today, Operation Frodo has grown into a multi-state rescue mission involving volunteers, journalists, rescue organizations, and automakers donating vehicles for these life-saving journeys. This year’s rescue convoy includes the Cadillac Escalade IQ, Kia EV9, Hyundai IONIQ 9, and Lucid Gravity - quiet, climate-controlled electric vehicles perfectly suited for transporting rescue dogs safely and comfortably across long distances. Everything begins with Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland, the core Midwest rescue partner that gathers dogs from across the region and coordinates many of the transfers. From there, dogs are transported to partner rescues, including Cascade Beagle Rescue in Oregon, Seattle Beagle Rescue, and Utah Beagle Rescue, where many find permanent homes and second chances.
The dogs of the first Operation Frodo getting some well-deserved rest. Credit: Animal Rescue Rigs
In that first Operation Frodo in 2022, Nik, his partner Lowell, and journalist Javier Mota rescued four dogs. The next year, Operation Frodo expanded exponentially, with Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, and Subaru all providing vehicles for the growing number of journalists and the 12 dogs they rescued. The team then rescued seven more dogs in that same year. Since Operation Frodo began and grew into an impressive operation of its own, a total of around 100 beagles had been rescued from the Midwest and delivered to the Cascade Beagle Rescue in Oregon, the Seattle Beagle Rescue, and the Utah Beagle Rescue.
Operation Frodo is not Nik’s only grand plan to save as many animals as possible. In 2018, he also founded Animal Rescue Rigs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to customize vehicles to be specially prepared to save animals from natural disasters. The first rig, a 2018 Nissan Titan XD Gas PRO-4X called “Paws One,” has all kinds of off-road gear, built-in animal crates, and even a deployable inflatable boat for search and rescue operators.
Credit: Nissan
This year, the Autopian is honored to take part in this important mission.
This summer’s Operation Frodo is special, too, as every vehicle provided by an automaker is an EV. I will drive a Hyundai Ioniq 9 from my home in Northern Illinois to Omaha, Nebraska, where Operation Frodo will officially kick off as the all-EV convoy heads west.
