The 42-foot van decked out with colorful images of playful animals has one obvious purpose: Find homes for as many homeless animals as possible.

It's something that James Gleason and Kim Lasek, both drivers with the New York-based North Shore Animal League America, are passionate about.

And they've been getting more than kicks as they travel the infamous Route 66 from Illinois to California during the group's second cross-country adoption tour. Aside from numerous thumbs-up from passing motorists with contented canines, the two are happy to say they've had plenty of licks from dogs and cats that have found permanent homes.

More than 210 and counting.

On Monday, the massive mobile adoption unit made Santa Fe one of its 14 stops along the 36-day, eight-state tour. The van, which earlier had picked up adoptable dogs and cats the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, parked along the tree-lined parking lot at Zoe & Guido's Pet Boutique on Cerrillos Road.

There was already a line of people waiting to check out the critters when the van arrived, Gleason said, with five animals finding homes almost immediately. The tour, sponsored by the North Shore league, Fido Friendly magazine and several other groups, has easily topped last year's adoption total of 150.

"There are some happy dogs here," Gleason said, pointing to the mobile van, with its specially designed, climate-controlled units. "Every single one is happy."

Even Chester the cat, a black-and-white feline who has been a longtime resident at the animal shelter, seemed at ease in the van, which doubles as a transport vehicle in pet emergencies. Shelter volunteer Monika French let the friendly feline strut around the van's inside tidy counter, cuddling up to an "adopt-me" vest while basking in the fall sunshine.

Two kittens were among the first animals to be adopted, said shelter volunteer and foster coordinator Stephanie Kraynak.

The van itself is a breeze to drive, said Lasek, a dog trainer at North Shore who also happens to drive a fire truck as a volunteer for her Long Island, New York, fire department. Lasek's the second relief driver on the tour, while Gleason has been with the tour since the kickoff in Chicago, where his group and its Illinois partner were given a key to the city.

Partnering with the local animal shelters is critical to the tour's mission, Gleason said. Many people are unfamiliar with their own local animal shelters, think it's a depressing place or have the wrong idea about the kind of animals available for adoption.

"A lot of people believe the shelters are overrun with vicious dogs," he said. "We're trying to break that stereotype and raise awareness. When they stop here and see these wonderful, healthy animals, many that are great with kids and are housebroken, it helps them to change their minds."

Gleason also visited Santa Fe during last year's tour in June, and said he was happy for a return visit. The tour was postponed this year until this month in hopes of avoiding a heat wave that followed the tour last year.

But the new dates didn't help sidestep the heat, Gleason said, noting that temperatures hit 110 degrees in Missouri. But Gleason said the weather doesn't matter as long as homeless animals find the right homes.

He and Lesek were ready to strike out for Arizona after they finished up in Santa Fe, heading West on their journey. It's Gleason's fifth national tour in 16 months, and the road warrior says he's happy to get behind the wheel for pets. He's already gearing up for next year's tour along Route 66.

For more information about the tour, visit the website at www.getyourlicks.org.