'Pup View' Is Google Maps From Your Dog's Perspective

It's like Google Street View, but from your dog's perspective!

Responding to the world's age-old need to see what life looks like when you're a pooch, folks working for the tech giant in Japan have created "Pup View."

"What better way to start off the Year of the Dog," writes Google Street View program manager Yukiko Naganuma. "Now, Street View can take you there in an instant."

The project enlisted the help of Akitas, which hail from the snowy mountainous region in the north of Japan. 

With the help of a trio of Akitas — Ako, Asuka and Puuko — with dog-friendly harnesses on their backs, anyone can get a view of their home in Ōdate city. 

Highlights include a Pup View of town statue Hachi, a dog-turned-legend who dutifully went to Tokyo’s Shibuya station every day to meet his owner, years after the owner died.

In another view, Ako plays in a snowy field during a walk.

"There’s much more to sniff out in Ōdate, from hot springs, history, culture and cuisine," Naganuma says. "So come on in and dig around the new imagery!"

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