Driving , gone to the dogs!

Some of you may have seen the amazing feat of our canine friends driving a vehicle last year over the electronic media. Don't you think it is great that man's best friend has even accomplished such a difficult task? In those of you who saw it or heard about it thought it was all a gimmick, the answer is no. The dogs really did drive a vehicle and they are now famous the world over.

It all began in New Zealand when the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) decided to help the growing number of abandoned canines by showing the people that dogs are not just dumb animals but intelligent creatures which need to be given a better deal in life than being dumped in a street corner.

And they did something really special to capture the attention of not just the people of New Zealand , but the entire world.

Who would have ever thought of teaching canines to drive ? But the SPCA did and the candidates were three abandoned dogs named Porter,Monty and Ginny.

The SPCA's aim was to show that rescue dogs are a first-rate choice for adoptions. And eventually the racetrack went to the dogs in New Zealand when Porter, a 10-month-old beardie cross, drove a Mini Countryman around the track while his exploits,all part of a marketing campaign for the SPCA's Auckland chapter,were broadcast live on New Zealand's 3 News station.

Next in line was Monty, an 18-month-old giant schnauzer, who also successfully steered his car in a canine-modified Mini, and, like Porter, had some human help with a trainer outside the window giving verbal commands.

While Monty and Porter got to show off their skills on live TV, Ginny, a one -year-old whippets cross, did not. SPCA Auckland CEO ,Christine Kalin hopes this does not continue to keep interested adopters away.

The trio of highway-ready rescue dogs Monty, Porter and pup Ginny, did not perform this amazing task just on the spur of the moment.

They needed to be trained of course because, even humans need to learn to drive before they get behind a wheel. So, the three dogs spent about eight weeks at the Animalson Q, a "premiere New Zealand animal talent agency,"according to its website, for the "doggy driver training process."