Good Deeds: Operation Frodo Gives 20 Dogs a New Lease on Life Thanks To The Automotive Media

The Holiday Season isn’t necessarily about extra stress and overeating. It’s about giving and selfless acts of kindness—especially when it comes to four-legged friends. Several members of the automotive media banded together from all parts of the nation and descended to Omaha, Nebraska on December 13 to kick off Operation Frodo 2025. We unexpectedly bumped into the group during our trip from Oregon to Wisconsin. Weather delays slowed us down on Interstate 80 as we tested a 2025 Kia Sorento X-Pro SX Prestige SUV.

And as fate would have it, we stayed in the same hotel as the Operation Frodo crew.

Our Cross-Country Travel Plans

We loaded up our gear, like our Simond 500 Extend 40-60 L Duffel Bag and other baggage and winter supplies for our month-long trip. We were en route to see family for Christmas and my mother for her birthday.

Usually, we wouldn’t go this way, but due to bad weather in Montana and the Dakotas, we went a more southern route for our cross-country trip from Oregon to Wisconsin.

We happened to connect with friend and fellow automotive writer, Jeff Zurschmeide, who said the crew would be in Omaha. Lo and behold, so were we, and we were invited to attend Operation Frodo’s kick-off.

Everyone was staying at a local hotel, and the mission commenced that evening with food and drink, as well as words from Operation Frodo’s founder, Nik Miles. He talked about this year’s event details, and we watched the crew hand out festive hats and numbered Knights of Frodo pins to all who were volunteering their time for these pups. The energy in the air was palpable. The love for these dogs who, to date, endured a tough life and were getting ready for cross-country transport, was equally impressive. We wished them all the best and safe travels as we said goodbye and headed eastward as they departed the hotel to get the dogs. They’re nearing the West Coast at the time of this writing!

Operation Frodo’s Intent

Nik Miles and other volunteers worked with several auto manufacturers to secure vehicles and other support to make the yearly “forever home effort” happen. Miles coordinated efforts with Kathi Ortmeier and her team from Omaha-based Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland. Their goal? To save 20 dogs and transport them to eagerly awaiting homes in Salt Lake City, Utah, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. So far, 85 beagles, hounds, and other dogs have been rescued through Operation Frodo.

The 2025 Operation Frodo is the most dogs the endeavor has saved in a single event. This year’s precious cargo includes many beagles and seven puppies. According to 6 News WOWT, approximately 5.8 million dogs and cats were housed in rescues and shelters across the United States. Ortmeier told the news outlet she thinks the nation is facing a “rescue animal crisis.” Miles and many others travel to her rescue for adoptions.

Miles founded Operation Frodo after he personally adopted a dog from Basset and Beagle Rescue but came home with two four-legged friends: Frodo plus his sister. For him, Operation Frodo became a reality. His desire to save dogs spiraled into a year-long effort to save other dogs, especially during the Holiday Season. Each year, Miles’ effort has grown and become more refined. Many of the volunteers are returnees, including fellow friend and talented writer Jeff Zurschmeide.

Jeff Zurschmeide’s Undying Love for Animals

Zurschmeide is a semi-retired automotive journalist and a “serial animal rescuer.” He works with Tillamook Animal Shelter in Tillamook, Oregon, where he and his wife live. He is a foster father for up to a dozen kittens and injured cats at a time. Zurschmeide also loves a good winter road trip (he’s also a fellow Alcan 5000 winter rally participant), which is why he participates in Operation Frodo every year.

“Animal rescue gives me back far more than I put into it,” Zurschmeide said. “The rewards make it a lifelong passion.”

Zurschmeide participates in Operation Frodo because these beagles are in dire need of transportation to their new homes. “Their hearts and minds are loving and perfect, so I can’t help but love them back.”

For Zurschmeide, Miles, and others, they can literally save their lives. There are no homes for them in the Midwest, they’ll end up being euthanized without their help.

“I also enjoy the event because the other people on the event are my friends and colleagues,” Zurschmeide stated, “so this is a fantastic week-long road trip with my buddies.”

As 2025 Operation Frodo Wraps Up

Miles said it best via one of his Facebook posts:

The Knights of Frodo
In medieval times, knights were bound by a simple oath: to defend the weak, protect the helpless, and stand between danger and those who could not stand for themselves.
They escorted the vulnerable, guarded the forgotten, and carried responsibility across long roads so others could live.
Today, that need has not disappeared, it has simply changed shape.
The Knights of Frodo are modern knights.
They drive across the country with cars full of unwanted dogs, dogs abandoned when they grew old, injured, inconvenient, or simply forgotten.
Dogs pulled from shelters, medical facilities, puppy mills, and roadsides where loyalty was repaid with neglect.
These dogs cannot ask for help.
So, we stand in for them.
In medieval times, women were not allowed to be knights.
Today, the truth is the opposite.
The women among us are often the strongest knights of all, the ones who make us better, hold us together, and carry the heart of this mission. We are stronger because of them.
This work is not easy.
It is long miles, heavy hearts, and quiet moments that most people will never see.
But history remembers knights not for the battles they fought, it remembers them for who they protected.
Every mile driven is an act of defense.
Every dog delivered is a life reclaimed.
That is the honor.
That is the oath.
That is what it means to be a Knight of Frodo.
Please Support Operation Frodo

-Nik Miles

As these selfless volunteers are close to reaching the West Coast, consider thanking them for their dedication, time, and love given during the busy Holiday Season. And if you’re so inclined, please reach out to Nik Miles or the Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland and find out how you can donate to this worthy cause. Every penny or supply helps save lives, and for that, we’re forever grateful to those who help Operation Frodo.

This year’s volunteers, supporters, and auto manufacturers (Instagram account names):

@nikjmiles

@harvey_drives

@tanyagazdik

@zurschmeidejeff

@samabuelsamid

@bev_b

@andihedrick

@javiermota

@jen.greenfelder

@nathanadlen

@crazyreesie

@suemead.adventuregirl

@hachismom

@engineeringexplained

@aaronhansen6622

@mrslillith

@toyotausa

@ineos_grenadier

@kiausa

@vw

@subaru_usa

@stellantisna

@bassetandbeaglerescue

@theasherhouse

@seabeagrescue

@operation_frodo

@thenamesjami

And, as we drove to our final destination, we were enlightened to know several more dogs would be saved because of the 2025 Operation Frodo effort.