Auto Journalists Unite to Rescue 12 Dogs Just in Time for the Holidays

Automotive journalist and TV personality Nik Miles owns several dogs, and when he’s not on the road reviewing new vehicles for various TV and radio shows, he’s helping rescue other canines in need. Miles launched Operation Frodo in 2022, transporting four beagles in need from Omaha, Nebraska to Portland, Oregon to be delivered to their forever homes.

Miles is quadrupling the mission in 2023, pledging to find loving families for 12 puppies and adult dogs. Dozens of colleagues across the automotive industry and fellow animal lovers have volunteered to pitch in, with journalists splitting the 1,650-mile journey into four legs: Omaha to Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City to Boise, and Boise to Portland.

Lord of the Rings fans know that Frodo was a brave orphan on a quest. Miles and his group of animal rescuers are finding ways to help orphaned dogs find a home.

Why Omaha?

According to Miles, there are abundant beagles and hounds in Nebraska and surrounding states because hunting is popular in the area. However, he explained that aging beagles are often left in the woods to die once they are no longer good hunters.

One of the beagles Miles rescued for his own family was found in a dumpster with several others, still alive but needing help and love. Whoever had dumped them there had chopped off the dogs’ ears, something that's usually done to remove evidence of the tattoos typically imprinted on the dogs to show ownership.

While these kinds of stories are maddening to Miles, he says complaining isn’t going to accomplish anything. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year, and nearly a million are euthanized. The thought of that is more than Miles can stand.

“We’re trying to find solutions,” he told The Drive. “We have to do better as human beings.”