Man arrested after high-speed chase tells police he was 'teaching dog how to drive'

A man involved in a high-speed chase with police was found with his dog behind the wheel and told officers he was teaching his pet how to drive.

When officers stopped a vehicle after a 100 miles-per-hour chase in Washington on Sunday, they discovered a pit bull behind the wheel.

State trooper Heather Axtman said the man in the car told officers he was attempting to teach his dog how to drive.

Ms Axtman told CNN: "He was driving very erratically. So erratically that multiple people called 911."

The man hit two cars and failed to stop both times, leading state troopers on a high-speed chase, a spokeswoman said. No major injuries were reported in either crash.

Ms Axtman said the suspect was driving “absolutely recklessly”.

As state troopers tried to corner the car, one spotted a dog sitting in the driving seat while a man steered the wheel.

Troopers used spike strips to stop the car before it hurt anyone, which Ms Axtman called “nothing shy of miraculous.”

Officers arrested the man, from Lakewood, Washington, who explained to them that he had been “teaching his dog to drive”.

“I wish I could make this up,” Ms Axtman said. “I’ve been a trooper for 12 years, and wow, I’ve never heard this excuse.

"I've been in a lot of high-speed chases, I've stopped a lot of cars, and never have I gotten an excuse that they were teaching their dog how to drive."

The suspect was charged with reckless endangerment, hit and run, driving under the influence, and felony eluding.

The dog, who Ms Axtman described as a “very sweet girl”, has been taken to a local animal shelter.