The post in which dogs learn to drive and an iguana goes for dog walks and motorcycle rides

 

Since apparently the world can’t get enough weird dog stories, three dogs in New Zealand have been taught how to drive a car.

Animal trainer Mark Vette in conjunction with the New Zealand chapter of the SPCA trained three rescue dogs, Monty, Ginny and Porter, for three months to teach them how to go, stop, and change gears.

Monty has been chosen to demonstrate his skills on live television in New Zealand next week.

The stunt has a serious purpose, to show how intelligent rescue animals can be, whether as workers or family pets. People sometimes think abandoned animals are second class, but they can be as intelligent as any other pets.

There are no plans to teach cats to fly airplanes.

More from the New Zealand Herald

 

 

Samie Kennedy and Zilla have a typical owner-pet relationship.

They are best friends. They go for walks and motorcycle rides. But Zilla is far from the kind of pet one usually takes for a walk. Zilla, named after Godzilla, is a 5-year-old red iguana.

 

All activity from pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists literally stops when Kennedy and Zilla stroll by, according to DNA Info.

Zilla has become quite a celebrity in Bridgeport, a suburb of Chicago.

Kennedy had wanted an iguana after watching one smoke a joint in a Cheech and Chong movie and he “thought that was pretty cool.” He got Zilla free as a baby when a local pet store went out of business in 2007.

Zilla is now a little over four feet long and weighs about nine pounds.

There are few places the two don’t go together. For walks Kennedy leashes him to a harness that resembles a biker’s black leather jacket because he wants Zilla “to look real cool.”

Zilla perches on Kennedy’s shoulder when he rides his motorcycle because that obviously looks cool.

Kennedy has arranged his apartment to accommodate his cold-blooded best friend. There is no mention in the story whether they partake of the cannabis together on occasion.

Ugly, weird, or cool is totally in the eye of the beholder but we think Zilla is pretty cute in his unique reptilian biker dude way.

Comments

[cube]

I wonder about some service dogs. We were having breakfast for dinner at Village Inn recently and saw a Doberman seizure service dog sprawled alongside one of the booths. I guess it can detect an impending seizure, but it can't alert when it has to pee because it peed right there on the carpet.

I would love to own an iguana like Zilla. He is so cute.

[geogia little pea]

I think Zilla is gorgeous. I wanted a snake for ages but Cushion couldn't be persuaded to have one, the wimp. Those dogs make me feel a bit stupid since I don't know how to drive.

[Linda]

I keep telling Shannon she needs to train her turkey to walk on a leash and then take him on a walk around the park with her! What a site that would be!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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[Bailey]

Great stories.

[yellowdoggranny]

why is it I find these stories about a car driving dog and a man walking an iguana perfectly normal.?

[Anne]

Great stories. Friends come in all sizes and shapes.

I wonder whether iguanas benefit from exercise.