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Range Rover: Long Island Dog Takes Van for a Spin

Updated 8:58 AM EDT, Tue, Nov 25, 2008

Bentley took a '92 Ford Van for a ride.  He wasnt the best driver but luckily no one was hurt

Bentley took a '92 Ford Van for a ride. He wasnt the best driver but luckily no one was hurt

 

The dog's name might be Bentley, but this pooch likes to drive a Ford.

Dog Drives Van Into Coffee Shop

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A Long Island driver left his dog alone in his van moments before it drove the vehicle into a coffee shop.

Bentley, a boxer and Shar-Pei mix recently rescued from the pound, gave his master and the patrons of a Long Island coffee shop quite the fright last night when he popped an idling van into drive and took it for a short ride into the shop's front window.

"I ran inside the coffee house to sign up for open-mike night, and I left my car running because it's cold outside and I didn't want my dog to freeze," said Bryan Maher told the Daily News. "The next thing I knew, I looked up to see my van coming at me in the window, with Bentley in the driver's seat grinning at me."

Luckily, the canine joyride left no one hurt. The crash only cracked  the front window of Cool Beanz in St. James, smashed some lawn furniture, and caused minor damage to the '92 Ford Van.

Despite the damage and the scare, Cool Beanz owner Patricia McCarthy couldn't be angry at Maher, whom she offered a gig on Saturday night.  She couldn't blame his wide-ranging rover either.

"Aw, Bentley was wagging his tail afterward,"  McCarthy told the News. "He really is a sweet dog."

As for Maher, he's learned his lesson.

 "This is the first and last time I'll ever put the car in park," he said. "He's a smart dog - obviously, he can drive a van."    

Comments (9)

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  • Heylook Wednesday, Nov 26 at 2:24 PM FLAG COMMENT It's a canine carjack!
  • zippy Sunday, Nov 23 at 9:05 PM FLAG COMMENT I think the dog saw all the great cakes and cookies and wanted a bite.
  • johnyd Saturday, Nov 22 at 5:32 AM FLAG COMMENT i agree with pathfinder. On that year vehicle with automatic shift, the foot brake has to be depressed in order to shift into any gear from park. This sounds like a RECALL back to Ford for a faulty lockout switch. Don't blame the dog or the van owner, this is a fault with the vehicle. There are many cases on file of Fords jumping out of park into gear on their own...
  • Jonathan Friday, Nov 21 at 5:03 PM FLAG COMMENT I have never seen a dog drive a van!!!
  • pathfinder Thursday, Nov 20 at 6:43 PM FLAG COMMENT I always leave my dog in the car and running,you can not shift into drive unless you engage the brake and the stick shift button,he sits behind the steering wheel,and you should see the double takes people do. Leaving you pet alone in your car isn't dangerous if you take precautions!.

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