SPCA dogs driving cars in New Zealand - Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV

(RNN) – We all know Fido loves a good car ride – as long as it's not to get shots at the vet – but for the first time Monty, an 18-month-old giant schnauzer, Porter, a 10-month-old bearded collie mix and Ginny a 1-year-old whippet mix are being taught to drive themselves.

The canine trio has been trained how to operate a Mini Cooper Countryman as part of a marketing campaign for the New Zealand SPCA to demonstrate that rescue dogs make great adoptees.

After being strapped into the driver's seat, the dogs are able to use their paws to start the car, steer it and work the gas and brake, which have been modified similar to a car setup for a special-needs driver.

"I think sometimes people think because they're getting an animal that's been abandoned that somehow it's a second-class animal," SPCA Auckland's CEO, Christine Kalin, told the New Zealand Herald. "Driving a car actively demonstrates to potential rescue dog adopters that you can teach an old dog new tricks."

The dogs did have human help in the form of steering wheel adjustments and verbal commands, according to the Herald, but still, these dogs can drive.

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