The New Zealand SPCA animal welfare organization has trained some found  abandoned and abused dogs to drive a car. Now they want more people to take care of animals submitted to the organization.

No, this is not a stupid car advert. SPCA New Zealand has actually taught dogs to drive. The project aims to show that even dogs who have been abandoned by their owners can be trained to be so obedient that they are able to drive.

The three dogs Porter, Monty and Ginny was behind the wheel of a custom-built Mini Countryman and got to drive the car around a track. The car is similar to some of the vehicles that disabled drivers with reduced mobility use.

The dogs were clamped behind the wheel of the Mini but got enough space to control both the steering wheel and pedals with their paws. The idea is not that  to put their knowledge into real traffic, but rather to show that it is possible to teach an old dog to both sit, steer, accelerate and brake. As seen in the movie clips below, it works pretty good, although Porter and Ginny initially had some motion sickness.

Porter previously lived on the street when he was found by the SPCA, Ginny had been beaten by her owners and Monty’s owner gave him away to the organization.