新西蘭小狗學開車 8周掌握駕駛技能
For the four-legged competitors, two months of hard work-and a fair few treats-ensured they were raring to get on the when the big day rolled around, the only ones likely to get hot under the collar were any bystanders who spotted a Mini hurtling towards them with a dog at the wheel.
對於四條腿的賽車手，兩個月的刻苦訓練加上一點小獎勵就能保證他們站起來昂首踏上賽道了。當比賽當日降臨時，唯一可能變得激動起來的就是那些旁觀着它們駕駛Mini在賽道上疾馳的人們了。
Two mutts made history yesterday by driving a car down a racetrack. Ten-month-old Porter put his paws to the pedals first, steering the Mini down the straight and then turning a corner.
兩隻狗狗昨天創造了歷史：成功在賽道上奔馳。十個月的波特先是把爪子放在油門上，把Mini開出了一道直線，然後來了個漂亮的轉彎。
He was followed by Monty, an 18-month-old giant schnauzer cross, who completed the same the Mail reported last week, the pair-along with one-year-old beardie-had been taking driving lessons, which began with them learning to steer a wooden cart pulled along on a string by their trainers.
在它後面完成了同樣動作的是蒙蒂，一隻18個月的巨型雪納瑞雜交犬，。正如郵報上週報道的，這一對加上一隻一歲的小狗一起上了駕駛課，它們最初的課程是學習駕駛一輛由訓練員拉着的木製小車。
In just eight weeks, they progressed to driving a real car-a modified Mini in which they sat on their haunches in the driver’s r front paws were on the steering wheel, while their back paws were on levers attached to the accelerator and the brake.
僅僅八週之後，它們就能駕駛真車了。狗狗們的座駕是一輛改良後的Mini，它們可以挺直腰板坐在駕駛位上，前爪搭在方向盤上，後爪則放在連着油門和剎車的控制桿上。
After successfully manoeuvring the car around a lab, the leading two were challenged to a racetrack test-drive which was broadcast live were strapped in with seatbelts and then followed commands from their trainers, who walked in front of the car.
成功地在實驗室開了一圈之後，表現較好的兩隻狗狗可以挑戰一次賽道的試駕了，這次試駕還在網絡直播。它們被繫上安全帶，然後聽從着走動在賽車前面的訓練員的口令。
The dogs were all rescued by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Auckland, New Zealand. The charity came up with the idea to train them to drive to prove how intelligent they were.
這些狗狗都是由奧克蘭（新西蘭港市）的動物保護協會所救出來的。這個協會試圖通過訓練狗狗學會駕駛來證明它們是很聰明的。
Animal trainer Mark Vette, who schooled the dogs, said: ‘They are great dogs, each with their own distinct wouldn’t believe any dog could learn to drive a car on its own but we’ve proven through our understanding of animal psychology and our specialised training methods that intelligent creatures can adapt to the situation they’re in.
訓練狗狗們的馬克·維特說：“它們都非常棒，每隻狗狗都很有自己的個性。你可能不會相信狗狗能自己學會開車，但是通過對動物心理的瞭解以及特殊的訓練方法，我們證明了聰明的動物是能夠適應它們所處的環境的。”
'It really is remarkable and we are so proud of the achievements of our dedicated training team and the incredible SPCA driving dogs.’Before the racetrack challenge, he explained that they treated the training like a ‘film shoot’, in reference to his work in the movies.
“這項成就確實是很了不起的，我們也爲敬業的訓練團隊和這些狗狗感到驕傲。”當賽道挑戰來臨之前，他說基於他在電影中的工作，大家都把這項訓練當做“拍電影”一樣。
He added: ‘We train the dogs to do different actions, touch is the first thing and then we teach them to touch the different objects with the right paw and left paw. They’ve all come through at this point and they’re all going really well.’
他又補充道：“我們訓練狗狗做出不同的反應，首先是撫觸，然後我們教它們用右爪和左爪觸摸不同的物體。它們都適應的非常好，進步也很快。”
The charity behind the stunt now hopes that the public will be so impressed that they will be keen to adopt rescue dogs.
協會希望人們在看到狗狗如此的“絕技”之後能夠深受感觸，從而去收養被協會救出來的狗狗。
SPCA Auckland chief executive Christine Kalin said: ‘I think sometimes people think because they’re getting an animal that’s been abandoned that somehow it’s a second-class animal.
奧克蘭動物保護協會主席克里斯汀·卡林說，“有時候人們認爲他們收養的被人遺棄的狗就是二等動物了。”
'The dogs have achieved amazing things in eight short weeks of training, which really shows with the right environment just how much potential all dogs from the SPCA have as family pets.’
“在短短八週的訓練中，狗狗們能有如此驚人的成就，這就說明只要有合適的環境，動物保護協會救下的狗狗和家養寵物一樣有潛力。”
