For reasons that are not altogether clear, a group of New Zealanders have spent eight weeks teaching two abandoned dogs to drive. The ultimate tast is to have a dog drive a Mini Clubman around a track without human help.

The dogs look entirely confused as they change gears and drive the specially adapted cars; thinking perhaps, this is the most elaborate trick they have ever had to perform for a treat.

There is an overall point to this endeavor: to promote the idea that rescued dogs are just as good as the pedigreed lot; if not better. Nothing says STFU better than a pavement special in a Benz rolling past a pedigreed labrador, “Sup Bitch”.

Auckland’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals asked trainers from New Zealand’s “premiere animal talent agency” Animals on Q to teach three abandoned dogs how to drive.  SPCA Auckland’s CEO Christine Kalin says:

I think sometimes people think because they’re getting an animal that’s been abandoned that somehow it’s a second-class animal . . . Driving a car actively demonstrates to potential rescue dog adopters that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

We had been waiting for that cliche since we saw the headline, thank you Christine for not letting us down.

Wonderfully, the final drive behind the wheel of a Mini Countryman will be aired live on New Zealand television. This is pretty big TV for New Zealand, who have just finished the first season of Dallas, and have been looking forward to the first season premier of The Fresh Prince of Bel–Air. 

YouTube views of the video have been less than stellar, prompting some to question the use of dogs at all, suggesting that had cats been used viral success would have been guaranteed.

[Source: Gawker]