Google's adorable new feature lets you explore a city through a dog's eyes

Mallorie Sullivan
Cincinnati Enquirer
This Akita Inu is ready to show you around Odate City, Japan!

It's always nice to have a local guide you around when you're visiting an unfamiliar place.

It's even better when said local is a dog.

According to a report from The Verge, Google Japan has made it possible for would-be travelers to take a dog-led tour through places such as Odate City, of Japan's Akita prefecture, also importantly known as the birthplace of the adorable Akita Inu dog.

But you're not literally seeing through the dogs' eyes.

Rather, the feature – which is viewed through Google's Street View and is appropriately referred to as "dog view" – straps cameras attached to dog-friendly harnesses onto the backs of very good boys (and girls).

Two working Akitas named Ako and Asuka are now viewers' loyal canine tour guides around Odate City. (That's likely a nod to the breed's ties to the city.)

The dogs lead viewers around their homeland, stopping at some of the city's main attractions, including the bronze statue of the famous Hachiko, an Akita who gained international acclaim for his loyalty.

The statue sits at Shibuya station, where Hachiko waited daily for his owner to come home from work, nine years after his death.

Ako and Asuka also make stops at a snowy mountain trail, the city's open-air hot spring foot bath and, of course, the Akita dog museum.

In total, there are 18 sights to see from a dog's point of view (or 20, if you count the dogs' fluffy heads and poofy, curled tails).

While these dogs are Google's first to become educational tour guides, it's not the first time a fluffy virtual assistant has made its way onto the street view feature.

Last year, a friendly golden retriever adorably crashed a series of street view photos taken on the tiny island of Jukdo off the coast of South Korea, according to The Verge.

If you can't get enough, there's also an entire Tumblr blog dedicated to spotting man's best friend around the world. The blog, called Google Dog View, shows photos of our furry friends hanging out everywhere from Uganda to Finland.

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