It is often said that you cannot "teach an old dog new tricks", but three New Zealand dogs have decided to prove otherwise by learning a skill --- driving a car! What's even more impressive is that the three who have become skilled in just eight weeks are not special dogs that belong to some rich owners, but abandoned ones at New Zealand's SPCA. To get their training started, 10-month old Porter, 18-month-old Monty and one-year-old Ginny were selected from a pool of seven potential candidates and moved to Animal Q, a talent agency that teaches animals tricks for movies and television shows. The driving classes began with teaching the dogs some basic driving techniques like turning the steering wheels and applying the brakes. After that the dogs practiced everything they had learnt behind the wheels of a motorized car. Then finally, it was time for the big test--- driving a real car! Human cars are not really built for four-legged animals, so the car they drove was adjusted so that the dogs could sit comfortably and easily reach the steering wheel with their paws. Though they all seemed to do very well, the real test came on Monday night when Monty, the best driver of the three, showed his great driving skill on live television. Why would the SPCA go through so much trouble to highlight the skills of homeless dogs?  The reason is to show that adopting a dog from a shelter does not mean owners are getting a pet that is worse than one purchased from a keeper. The CEO of the SPCA is hoping that this unusual event will be enough to convince the residents of New Zealand to consider them, when searching for a pet. We surely hope so, meanwhile we are almost certain that these three pioneers have at least landed their names in the Guinness World Records, creating a category that probably does not even exist today! Who do the three dogs belong to?
Some rich owners. Animal Q. A shelter. A zoo.