FORD AND FIDO: Carmaker helps sponsor couple on pet adoption tour

A minute after Chelsea Magruder finished filling out forms to adopt a Labrador mix breed at Great Plains SPCA, she walked to a table, plunked down a $2 donation and took a spin of the wheel for a dog product.

Magruder, who volunteers at Great Plains SPCA in Merriam, was planning to adopt the dog on a Sunday afternoon in late October.

“I saw her and basically fell in love with her,” Magruder said.

Thanks to the efforts of Susan and Greg Sims and the Ford Motor Company, Magruder got so much more for her dog.

Not only did Magruder get the item she spun for on the wheel, Susan Sims gave Magruder one item of each of the dog products that were on hand.

Six years ago, Sims, along with her husband, came up with the idea of a pet adoption tour, calling it, “Get Your Licks on Route 66.” They travel more than half the country each year, stopping at pet adoption places along the way to promote the need to adopt dogs and cats.

“I think what makes a difference for us is each of these shelters has a story,” Susan Sims said. “The volunteers are the story. They work tirelessly with little recognition. Without them, these shelters could not maintain the work they have to do. It is really gratifying. We love seeing the cats and dogs get adopted.”

The idea grew from their magazine, Fido Friendly, which they started 14 years ago.

“We got the magazine,” Greg Sims said. “We also have a radio show. I think this is what gives us relevance. It is one thing to have the magazine and radio show, but we feel we are making a difference with the tour.”

The Sims live in Boise, Idaho. In order to travel with their dogs and the products, they needed a comfortable SUV. Three years ago, Susan Sims contacted Ford to see if the company would help sponsor their adoption tour. In the first year, they traveled the country in a Ford Escape.

For this year’s tour, which started Sept. 7 in Los Angeles and concluded Oct. 19 in Merriam, the Sims traveled in a new 2015 Ford Expedition.

“This is the first year they delivered it to our doorstep,” Susan Sims said. “We were very appreciative. It helped our budget tremendously. We didn’t have to rent a car and drive to Los Angeles and pick it up. We were able to get our logos in place and hit the ground running in L.A.”

The Sims made 17 stops, traveling to Flagstaff, Ariz., as far east as Chicago and made two stops in Kansas City. They also visited Wayside Waifs in Kansas City on Oct. 18.

Dick Smith Ford in Raytown helped by bringing dog products to Wayside Waifs.

Phillip Smith, executive vice president and general manager at Dick Smith Ford, said pet adoption is important to the Ford Motor Company.

“Ford always tries to be community minded in everything they do,” Sims said. “Of course, there are a lot of needs, but one of things they have looked at is every community contends with the issue of animals, dogs, cats, etc. Unfortunately, that issue is only becoming more so.”

Smith added that it is important for the Ford Motor Company as a corporation, the dealerships and the community to work in unison to help solve the problem.

“It is easy just to write a check,” Smith said. “That is the easiest thing to do. To me, it makes a bigger impact when there is actual involvement from all parties involved.”

Susan Sims sees it. She said the Ford Motor Company has been very helpful in helping them get the message out about the need to adopt pets.

Some of the dogs and cats arrive at shelters because an owner recently passed away.

“People ask what is in it for us,” Sims said. “It is truly a heartstring kind of thing.

“We just think in our small way, we are helping to share awareness on the plight of shelter pets. We want to let people know they are good animals. They are not throwaway dogs.”

As for the new 2015 Ford Expedition, Susan Sims said the vehicle was perfect for them to carry all their equipment and their two dogs, Junior and Jake.

“For us, we always crate our dogs when we travel for safety sake,” she said. “This car gives us so much room. We feel really safe when we close that hatch.

“What I really liked from the get go is not only do we have heated seats, we have air conditioned seats. When we first started the tour, we really needed this.”

The new 2015 Ford Expedition arrived at Dick Smith Ford in October.

“The nice thing about the Expedition, besides it being a fabulous vehicle, is it has a lot of room, but it also has a lot of flexibility as far as things you can do and seating capacity and the ability to turn it into cargo capacity,” Smith said.

“In a very short amount of time, you can convert the passenger seating with the push of a button to cargo area. It is a very quick and simple process.”

The Ford Expedition allowed the Sims to spread the word about the importance of pet adoptions. The donations they collected for spinning the wheel all went back to the pet shelters. Their goal is to raise $100 at each stop, and they normally exceed it.

In their first five years of the tour, they helped place 2,200 pets.

“I think it is amazing,” said Annie Long, manager at Great Plains SPCA. “All the different products they bring for the new dog owners to take home for their dog. The added customer service is wonderful. It is a great experience.”

The look of joy on Magruder’s face as she left Great Plains SPCA with her dog attests to the experience being rewarding.

“I think it is awesome to be able to come in here and adopt a dog and then have that kind of starter kit for the dogs,” Magruder said. “I got a lot of treats and toys and things to make her feel at home.”

This story was originally published November 7, 2014 at 6:00 PM with the headline "FORD AND FIDO: Carmaker helps sponsor couple on pet adoption tour."