Stray dogs can learn to drive better than your 16-year-old niece - Acadiana's Multi-Media News Station

Stray dogs can learn to drive better than your 16-year-old niece

Updated:
(Image courtesy of Digital Trends) (Image courtesy of Digital Trends)


By Natt Garun
Provided by

Dogs are some pretty smart creatures. Cops use them to for search-and-rescue missions or drug hunts, the blind use them for street guidance, and Digital Trends' Andrew Couts trains his pup for pure, heart-warming YouTube fun. They've also been known, on several occasions, to be extremely heroic and loyal, saving numerous owners from fires, storms, and assaults. Since these canines are so good at learning various tricks, New Zealand's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) decided to teach them how to drive.

You've read that right: Drive. An activity most humans can't even perform properly. In a recently released video, the SPCA showcases three dogs -- Porter, Ginny, and Monty -- being taught to drive a Mini Cooper, and focuses on Porter making a right hand turn on a giant racing course. The car has been outfitted with custom, extended push pedals so most dogs can reach and control the mechanics.

"We train them to do different actions, touch is the first thing and then we teach them to touch the different objects with the right paw and left paw," dog trainer Mark Vette told News.au. "They've all come through at this point and they're all going really well."

What's even more impressive: The Mini still has a manual transmission, meaning the dog would be required to shift its own gears to successfully maneuver the road. Although the sample video shows Porter making a simple and slow turn, the idea that dogs can potentially drive a manual transmission car is just mind-blowing, to say the least, because that's clearly more than I can do.

Will dogs eventually become the new designated drivers? If so, this just gave a whole new meaning to these pups as man's best friend. Watch the video here to see Porter hitting the race track and schooling most 16-year-old Americans.

Correction: MIKEDV points out that the Mini Cooper being driven is actually automatic transmission. I'm no car expertise, but either way, Porter's ability to drive stands impeccably impressive and maybe he'll manage a manual transmission car one day. We can dream!

In Case You Missed It:

Nissan ponders reviving Datsun brand
Jumping 3D printed spider-bots created to help save lives not enslave them
Car security: Japanese engineers develop seat that knows who's sitting on it
Space Comrades: Russia seeks US and EU help in building collective moon base

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
 
Content provided by
INFORMATIONAL DISCLAIMER The information contained on or provided through this site is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional financial or accounting advice. Always seek the advice of your accountant or other qualified personal finance advisor for answers to any related questions you may have. Use of this site and any information contained on or provided through this site is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.

  • Blue's Pet Page

  • Please keep an eye out for this precious little Yorkie named Mattie. She is about 3 years old, and has a black and brown coat. She was last seen at her home at 118 Hellen Street in Lafayette. If you
    LOST: 13-year-old Chihuahua named Manana, nicknamed "Mania." Mania was let out of her home for a few minutes but never returned. She was last seen at her home in Southpoint Apartments on Verot School

  • "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog." -George Graham
    "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog." -George Graham

  • "The more people I meet, the more I like my cat." -Anonymous
    "The more people I meet, the more I like my cat." -Anonymous

  • Why Does My Pet...Drink From The Toilet? You've watched your cat's painstaking grooming ritual. Why would he go to all that trouble keeping himself clean and then drink out of the toilet? No one is sure
    Why Does My Pet...Drink From The Toilet? You've watched your cat's painstaking grooming ritual. Why would he go to all that trouble keeping himself clean and then drink out of the toilet? No one is sure

  • Do you know what you should have on hand to keep your pets safe? Natural disasters routinely grab the headlines, yet most of us don't prepare for them -- even though a fire, hurricane, or hazardous
    Do you know what you should have on hand to keep your pets safe? Natural disasters routinely grab the headlines, yet most of us don't prepare for them -- even though a fire, hurricane, or hazardous

  • Looking for a fitness buddy? Adopt a dog! By Dorene Internicola, Reuters Posted April 01, 2013, at 11:15 a.m. NEW YORK — Zeus the pit bull helps his owner slog through interval training and military
    Looking for a fitness buddy? Adopt a dog! By Dorene Internicola, Reuters Posted April 01, 2013, at 11:15 a.m. NEW YORK — Zeus the pit bull helps his owner slog through interval training and military

  • Loyalty Day, the lesser-known May 1 holiday, celebrates American freedom and the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States. It's also a fine time to celebrate the loyalty of your loveable pets. Dogs
    Loyalty Day, the lesser-known May 1 holiday, celebrates American freedom and the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States. It's also a fine time to celebrate the loyalty of your loveable pets. Dogs
Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and KLFY. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.