Wednesday I introduced you to 
Susan Sims, publisher of FIDO Friendly magazine and founder of Get Your Licks on Route 66 mobile pet adoption tour. Today we continue our interview, find out what Junior is up to, and learn more about some of the heartwarming adoptions last year.
Q: The pet adoption tour kicks off in Chicago on September 11th. What are the special events along the way?
Susan: Each partner shelter provides volunteers to help during the day and we try and take photos of all the pets being adopted. We place a lot of ads in the local media and its always great fun when camera crews come out during that special day to help encourage more people to consider adopting their next pet. It is truly heart warming to be a part of this experience when people find their n
ew forever friends.
Q: Do you remember some of the pets who were adopted?
Susan: Watching people looking at the pets up for adoption never failed to touch our hearts. One day in particular stands out in my mind when a disabled woman adopted a small bundle of fur who only had one eye. She thought they were a good match!
Last year, we h
ad a cover contest where we chose one lucky pup from the tour to grace our cover. The pet that made it was a white puppy pit bull. He was adopted by a family in Flagstaff, Arizona (pictured with his new family and here on the cover) and they named him Spike. We saw the whole love story unfold that day and it was a perfect match.
Q: Are there cats too?
Susan: Cats are onboard as well!
Q: You’re on the road for a month. What are the pluses and minuses of traveling so long?
Susan: We love traveling with our dog, Junior. The plus side is being able to experience different sights and sounds with him. He is always up for adventure. Another plus is that we always order room service when Junior is along for the ride. The minus side is: we always order room service when Junior is along for the ride. Lol
Q: So Junior is an important part of the tour.
Susan: Last year, Junior’s picture was quite large on the side of the bus. The caption was, ‘Hi, my name is Junior and I was adopted.’ We stay at the LaQuinta Inns and Suites as they are our hotel sponsors and one night when my husband was walking Junior at the hotel, a guest came up and said, “Is that Junior?” It took my husband awhile to realize that this person had seen Junior’s face on the side of the bus, and that was why he was recognized.
Q: Darn, I don’t live in the Route 66 vicinity. Can we follow along online?
Susan: Thanks so much for asking! We will be blogging daily on our FIDO Friendly blog as well as highlighting stops on Animal Radio. There is also a direct link with photos at www.getyourlicks.org. We will be running a feature story the first of the year which will detail the entire tour.
Q: How many pets do you think will be adopted as a result of this year’s tour?
Susan: Last year we helped adopt 150 pets. It would be great to double that amount this year!
Q: That would be great! How can we help?
Susan: You are helping us so much right now by spreading the word about this life saving event. We also have a great auction up on Charity Buzz. Starting September 2nd, people can take a look online and bid for great auction items. All proceeds will benefit the ‘Get Your Licks on Route 66’ tour. Once on Charity Buzz, look for North Shore Animal League America and FIDO Friendly and the event name: Get Your Licks on Route 66.
Thank you Susan, and best of luck on the tour! Hugs to Junior!
If you want, you can leave your good wishes for Susan and Junior and their travels here. And, if you have any questions for Susan, feel free to ask here too.
