In case you weren't watching the news lately, 3 dogs in New Zealand have learned to drive a car.It only took 8 weeks for the dogs to learn, which wasn't as long as it took me.
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| Porter, Monty, & Ginny all know how to drive |
They'll be demonstrating their skills on live TV on Monday, December 10 (which is probably Sunday for us). They're not quite ready for the Indy 500 yet. Their specially modified Mini will only go about 6 miles an hour, and their trainer has an "off" button in case they try to ram the camera man.
Still, I'm impressed. I can't even manage to train Caitlin to bring her squeaky chicken back to me, much less chauffeur me to the dog park.
The canine motorists are a publicity stunt dreamed up the the SPCA* in Auckland as a way to get more pets adopted. They shouldn't have any problem getting these particular dogs adopted, but considering how much it must have cost to train them and retrofit the Minis that they're driving, the cost per adoption has got to be pretty high.
*Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2012/12/06/new-zealands-spca-draftfcb-and-mini-put-dogs-driving-seat-unconventional-adoption
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/meet-monty-a-dog-who-can-be-your-designated-driver/309186-77.html
.......... much less chauffeur me to the dog park.
ReplyDeleteOh wouldn't that be cool. I would give a LOT to see the faces when she drove in and parked.