A f lying dog? It’s not so barking!
WITH his paws steady on the joystick and his eyes focused on the runway, Alfie is the picture of concentration.
Which is just as well – as the plucky canine is in flying school.
It may seem barking mad, but this lurcher-collie cross’s training is part of a TV experiment which will attempt to produce the world’s first four-legged pilot.
The programme, Dogs Might Fly, aims to show the intelligence of man’s best friend by teaching them how to control an aircraft.
The show uses X Factor- style auditions at rescue centres around the country, to whittle stray dog hopefuls down to 12 contenders.
And Alfie, a 23-month- old who seems entirely comfortable
‘Intelligent and remarkable’
strapped into a harness while being trained in a flight simulator, is one of the high-flying contenders.
Other early frontrunners are Reggie, a German shepherd-labrador cross, and Shadow, a collie cross.
This latest challenge follows on from Driving Dogs, an experiment by animal psychologist Mark Vette’s which put two stray dogs through driving lessons during a two-month boot camp in 2012.
It resulted in both dogs successfully driving a modified Mini around a racetrack in a live stunt.
Now Mr Vette wants to go further and see a dog take to the skies.
The six episodes of Dogs Might Fly, starting tomorrow on Sky, will chart the progress of the 12 dogs as they undergo ten weeks of rigorous training in a luxury Sussex mansion.
The three best are then sent to flight school to be taught by Mr Vette. At the end of the series, it will be revealed whether the most talented animal is ready for a real-life dogfight behind the wheel of a singleengine aircraft – or whether the task is just too ambitious. Jamie Theakston, the presenter of the show, said: ‘You’ll see just how remarkable rescue dogs really are.
‘People give up on them too easily and this series will show us why we shouldn’t. They are just as deserving and just as intelligent.’