A man who was arrested after cops were lead on a 100 mph chase Sunday left his excuse for the incident to the dogs.
Washington State troopers who used spike strips to disable the vehicle and end the chase near Seattle said they found a pit bull behind the wheel.
The animal's owner, Alberto Tito Alejandro, 51, claimed he was teaching the dog to drive, says State Trooper Heather Axtman.
During the pursuit, troopers were shocked to see the animal in the driver's seat and Alejandro steering and pushing the gas pedal from the passenger side.
Alejandro was taken to a hospital and later booked on multiple felonies including driving under the influence of drugs.
The incident unfolded Sunday afternoon after police received calls about a driver hitting two vehicles in an area south of Seattle and then speeding away,
Axtman said the emergency services subsequently got multiple calls about a car traveling erratically at more than 100 miles per hours.
Axtman said that as officers gave chase, they got close to the vehicle -- a 1996 Buick -- and were shocked to see a pit bull in the driver's seat and Alejandro steering and pushing the gas pedal from the passenger side.
The pursuit ended after police deployed spike strips and arrested the dog owner.
'When we took him into custody... he admitted to our troopers that he was trying to teach his dog to drive,' Axtman said.
'I've been a trooper for almost 10 years and I've had a lot of excuses when I've arrested people or pulled people over, but I've never had an excuse that the dog was driving,' she added, laughing.
Axtman said the female pit bull, which was not aggressive toward the arresting officers, had been placed in an animal shelter.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
