Rescue Dogs Are Taught How To Drive Cars To Show Their Intelligence

For their Driving Dogs campaign, SPCA Auckland, along with MINI New Zealand, had animal trainer Mark Vette and his team teach rescue dogs Monty, Porter, and Ginny how to drive. The campaign’s aim was to change some common misconceptions about the intelligence of rescue dogs. In this series of videos, you can see how the dogs learned to drive and, in this video, you can watch Porter drive a MINI Countryman around a track. The specially modified was customized for the dog’s use by Ikon Engineering. (I, for one, welcome our new driving dog overlords.)

Porter, “I’m a Beardie Cross. I’m 10 months old and I’m a boy. I drive cars too.”

Ginny, “She’s a 1 year old Beardie Whippet Cross ready to find her forever home. When she’s not out learning to drive a MINI or doing an oil change she loves to play with toys.”

Monty, “He’s an 18 month Giant Schnauzer, with a big personality. Oh, and he can drive a MINI.”

“It might not look it from the outside, but this is no ordinary MINI. It’s been kindly modified by our mates at Ikon Engineering — mainly so our drivers could actually reach the pedals.”

images and video by Driving Dogs

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips