Chapter 13: What a Sneaky Dog

After morning training, Aofeng and the other puppies were taken to the Police Dog Canteen by the trainers for breakfast. Whether it was to prepare for the upcoming assessment or not, today’s breakfast was especially tasty, and the portions were noticeably larger than usual.

After eating, Aofeng was brought back to the kennel. He lazily flopped into his bed and began thinking about how he should perform next. As for the content of the assessment, Aofeng had already figured it out just by lying around the trainers and listening to their conversations.

To determine whether a puppy is qualified to become a police dog, the first thing they look at is its bloodline. In that regard, Aofeng had absolutely nothing to worry about.

His mother, Shen Lan, and his father, Vireya, were both purebred German Shepherds. Their performance during service was nothing short of outstanding, ranking among the top Merit Dogs in the country. As the offspring of two distinguished police dogs, there was no way Aofeng wouldn’t pass this part.

After checking bloodlines, the next step was to evaluate physical development and overall health. This batch of puppies was nearing six months old. Since weaning, they had undergone full-body checkups every month, measuring things like height, weight, and body length, and had received vaccinations on schedule. In this area too, Aofeng was in the clear.

These two parts of the assessment were handled by the Training Base. Jiang Tao from the Archives Room was responsible for compiling and entering the weekly reports submitted by the trainers, then printing them out and storing them in each puppy’s personal file folder for the evaluators to review. Later, if a puppy officially became a police dog and was assigned to a local public security bureau¹ or police station, a copy of the file would be sent along, while the original would remain at the Training Base to prevent loss.

Once the paperwork was reviewed, the most crucial step began: the evaluators, together with the trainers, would assess the puppies’ behavior.

The focus of the assessment varied slightly depending on the breed. Generally, the evaluation covered physical ability, obedience, retrieval desire, and courage. For Aofeng, being a German Shepherd with well-rounded qualities, each of these areas carried equal weight.

For a Labrador like Huzi, there would be an additional category called possessiveness, with retrieval desire and courage weighing more heavily, while the other areas were less emphasized.

These criteria were tailored to each breed and the type of police work they were best suited for, making the system quite reasonable.

Of course, the behavioral assessment technically began the moment the evaluators stepped into the kennel. Puppies that showed signs of fear or avoidance, even if they performed well later, were usually deemed unqualified.

Aofeng was deep in thought, but his sharp ears had already picked up on several people approaching. Some of the footsteps sounded unfamiliar, likely belonging to the evaluators sent from higher up.

With a few clicks, three nearby kennels were opened. It looked like Dezi wasn’t selected for this round. Soon after, Aofeng heard the reactions of the other puppies—some curious, some hostile and trying to drive the intruders away, and others silently watching every movement with alert eyes. It seemed the evaluators had entered the kennels one by one.

These reactions stemmed from the puppies’ individual personalities. There was no right or wrong personality, but as long as a puppy didn’t tuck its tail and flee at the sight of a stranger, it should pass.

Aofeng kept his ears tilted, listening intently. He realized the three puppies were being taken to the training field outside. Once the sounds faded, he blinked and decided to catch a nap. He still didn’t know what number Dezi had drawn. With only three trainers, hopefully it wouldn’t delay his lunch.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when unfamiliar footsteps approached and stopped in front of his kennel. The moment the person came to a halt, Aofeng opened his eyes.

The door opened. Dezi stood outside, and a middle-aged man about the same height as Dezi, with a buzz cut and a sharp, capable look, stepped inside.

When the man saw Aofeng, a flicker of interest crossed his eyes. He had just reviewed Aofeng’s file, and when he closed it, his mind had been filled with one word: unqualified. He crouched down in front of Aofeng, clapped his hands, and made coaxing noises.

Aofeng stayed where he was, not approaching. He simply watched the man quietly, but his body had already shifted into an aggressive stance, ready to strike at the first sign of hostility.

“This little guy’s pretty fierce,” the man said to Dezi outside, then gestured for him to come in and attach the leash.

Dezi patted Aofeng to calm him down, signaling him to relax. Little did he know, this was all part of Aofeng’s plan. He was just trying to rack up a few extra points. For a German Shepherd, a breed known for its aggression, higher alertness naturally meant a higher score.

Once the leash was on, the man tried to lead Aofeng out. But Aofeng dug in with all four paws, pulling back hard like he was playing tug-of-war.

Seriously, if he let himself be led away that easily, could he still be considered a vigilant German Shepherd?

Sure enough, after a brief standoff, the man stopped pulling. Only after Dezi gave Aofeng the heel command did the man manage to lead him to the assessment field.

Aofeng noticed the other two evaluators weren’t there. They had probably set up separate fields for the puppies to avoid distractions.

Once they arrived, the man let go of the leash and walked over to a basket to retrieve a ball. He waved it in front of Aofeng, then threw it forcefully into the distance.

Aofeng sprang into action, all four paws pushing off the ground. Wind rushed past his ears, blowing his fur backward as he shot forward like an arrow.

In no time, he returned with the ball in his mouth. But instead of handing it to the man, he trotted over and dropped it straight into the basket. The message was clear: this game was fine, but only once.

A dog with such a strong sense of self and near immunity to toys like balls was something the man had never seen before. He stood frozen in place until Aofeng, now sitting in front of him, barked impatiently to snap him out of it.

“Alright, you take over and demonstrate with him now,” the evaluator said, turning to Dezi.

Since the puppy hadn’t been trained by the evaluator himself, the next part of the assessment had to be carried out by the trainer and the police dog together. In addition to evaluating the dog, the evaluator would also observe whether the trainer’s actions met the required standards.

Dezi walked over, picked up the leash, and began demonstrating various commands. These were all routines they’d practiced during morning training, so Aofeng executed them flawlessly. His responses were immediate, with barely any delay. In fact, that slight delay was something Aofeng had deliberately added so they wouldn’t find it suspicious.

The man standing off to the side watched Aofeng’s every move, a bit surprised. From the moment this puppy had arrived at the kennel until now, his performance was completely different from what was recorded in the file. It was like two entirely different dogs. No matter how you looked at it, this puppy’s performance was nothing short of perfect.

After completing the obedience command demonstration, Dezi gave the command, “Heel.” Aofeng instantly moved to his side, pressing close and matching Dezi’s steps as they walked forward. His gaze stayed fixed straight ahead, his coordination impeccable. As they neared the center of the training field, Dezi shouted, “Run!” and Aofeng immediately burst forward. Under Dezi’s guidance, he skillfully navigated several beginner-level obstacles. By the time he reached the finish line, his time was the fastest among all the puppies tested so far.

Next, Dezi pulled a small ball from his pocket and threw it into the distance. Aofeng quickly retrieved it and placed it back in Dezi’s hand. They repeated this several times, and once Dezi confirmed that Aofeng’s focus remained razor-sharp, he held the ball up to Aofeng’s nose, signaling him to take a good sniff.

Aofeng pretended to sniff seriously for a moment, then let Dezi walk off to hide the ball somewhere else. Please, something that had his own saliva on it—how could he not find it?

So, when Dezi gave the signal to search, Aofeng quickly located the correct box among a pile of cardboard boxes and retrieved the one with the hidden ball.

The man on the side took notes: “High obedience, excellent physical condition, strong focus, extremely sensitive sense of smell.”

“Alright, let’s move on to the next part.”

Hearing this, Dezi led Aofeng out of the training field. Aofeng was a little confused. From what he’d overheard earlier, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Logically, the final test should be about courage. Wasn’t someone supposed to jump out pretending to attack Dezi, and when Dezi couldn’t fight back, he’d rush in to save him, bravely battling the enemy? He’d even planned out his moves for that part.

So what was the deal with taking him out now? Were they actually going to throw him into a real fight?

That’s just too messed up!

Translator’s Notes