Let me introduce you to the world’s first driving dogs. The Auckland, New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) wants everyone to know just how special rescued dogs really are.
The World’s First Driving Dogs
The world’s first driving dogs were selected from the SPCA Shelter and taught to drive. The goal is to prove to people that rescued dogs are as capable and smart as any other dog. Most importantly, they deserve a nurturing and loving, forever home as much as a dog purchased from a breeder or pet store.
Christine Kalin, CEO of the Auckland SPCA, thinks that some people believe that an abandoned dog is a second-class dog. Their primary goal of teaching the dogs to drive a car is to:
- Get the public talking about the demonstration and how smart the rescued dogs must be in order to drive a car.
- Convince these same people to make a rescued dog their choice for adoption.
- Encourage people to consider adoption.
How The Dogs Are Able To Drive
The cars, of course, were altered specifically for them to be able to drive them safely. Special attachments and handles were created for accelerator and brake pedals, dashboard, gearstick, and, of course, the steering wheel.
These adjustments to the usual car equipment allow the dogs to safely and easily use each of them. For instance, the most critical element is a way to restrict speed. The carefully crafted speed restrictor guarantees that the car cannot go faster than at walking speed.
Certainly, as you watch the world’s first driving dogs engaging with the human members of the demonstration team, you see how much they enjoy driving. If this demonstration does not show people just how special these dogs are I don’t know what will.
If you would like to know more about dog adoption, here are two helpful articles on the subject.
https://happymutt.org/shelter-dog-adoption/
https://happymutt.org/can-you-afford-to-own-a-dog/
