Chapter 22: Dog, You’ve Caught My Attention¹

The search training had been going on for a week now. All the police dogs could find the hidden balls in the haystacks across the entire training field within fifteen minutes. Aofeng remained the fastest, cutting his time down to under ten minutes.

Since the initial training goals had been met, it was time for an assessment. Trainers Zhang Meng and Song Changfeng discussed it and decided to hold the test that afternoon. The content would still be search-based, but the method was different.

Previously, the dogs had to accurately locate a set of balls with identical scents. This time, however, the scent on the balls had been removed. The Assistant Trainers still hid the balls in the haystacks, but now they also placed various distraction items nearby. The police dogs had to find the balls within a set time limit.

There were ten balls in total. Finding six within ten minutes was considered a passing score, with points scaling accordingly. If multiple dogs earned the same score, the one with the shorter time would rank higher.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, after a good rest, the police dogs were led by their respective Trainers to the training field. The field had already been divided into four identical zones to ensure a fair and efficient assessment. Once everyone lined up, Zhang Meng had the Assistant Trainers bring over a cardboard box filled with numbered ping pong balls. The Trainers would each draw a number to determine their turn in the test. The number drawn would correspond to their group and order of appearance.

As everyone gathered around to draw lots, Dezi led Aofeng over to Song Changfeng and said, “Director Li said Aofeng will assist you during the demonstration. You’ll do the draw too. Here’s the leash, I’ve got to go.”

With that, he handed over the leash, gave Aofeng’s head a final pat, and walked off without looking back, leaving behind a clearly disgruntled Aofeng and a still slightly dazed Song Changfeng.

The atmosphere grew a little awkward. Song Changfeng cleared his throat and crouched in front of Aofeng, politely extending his right hand. “Aofeng, looking forward to working with you.”

Aofeng half-heartedly placed his right paw on Song Changfeng’s hand, barely making contact before pulling it back. Song Changfeng didn’t mind. He extended his other hand in front of Aofeng. Aofeng glanced at him. Seriously? Both hands? Is this some kind of ceremony?

Still, he quickly tapped Song Changfeng’s hand with his left paw. But just as he pulled it back, Song Changfeng extended a hand again for another shake.

Aofeng was speechless. Come on, he was professionally trained. Did this guy really need to test his Obedience² with such basic commands?

Song Changfeng seemed oblivious to the exasperation written all over Aofeng’s dog face. His hand remained outstretched, as if he’d stay in that position forever unless Aofeng complied.

This time, Aofeng smacked his right paw down hard into Song Changfeng’s palm with a loud “slap.”

Song Changfeng gave his paw a little shake, finally stood up, and didn’t repeat the gesture. He had noticed something interesting: this police dog could distinguish between left and right. Typically, when dogs shake hands with humans, they instinctively raise the same-side paw. But in his little test, Aofeng had consistently used the opposite paw, just like a human would. It was a bit awkward for a dog, but impressive nonetheless.

“Changfeng, come draw your number,” someone called from not far away.

Song Changfeng responded and walked over with Aofeng in tow. He reached into the box and pulled out number twelve.

The moment Aofeng saw the number, he flopped down on the ground and lazily wagged his tail. Each group had four numbers, which meant they were in the third group. With plenty of time before their turn, why stand around when lying down was so much more comfortable?

The assessment began quickly. The police dogs and their Trainers entered their designated zones and started circling the nearest haystack, searching for the hidden balls.

The balls were made of rubber. Even though they hadn’t been artificially scented this time, the rubber still had a noticeable smell to a dog’s nose. If Aofeng could pick it up, so could the others.

There were no tricks with the first haystack. The four police dogs sniffed carefully around it and quickly found the hidden balls. They dove their heads into the hay, excitedly pulled out the balls, and wagged their tails like crazy.

But the second haystack presented a problem. The Assistant Trainers had placed a chicken leg on top of it. As soon as the dogs approached, the lid was lifted, and the irresistible aroma wafted into their noses, instantly hijacking their attention. Some dogs started circling in place, others stared up at the chicken leg with drool dripping from their mouths. One even stood up on its hind legs, placing its front paws on the haystack, trying to reach the plate with its mouth.

The Trainers had to keep shouting commands or pull out treats from their pockets to lure the dogs back. The dogs weren’t dumb. That chicken smelled amazing, sure, but it was out of reach. The treats in their Trainers’ hands, on the other hand, were real and ready to eat.

The chaotic scene was gradually brought under control, and the second ball was found after a thorough search. Then came the third, the fourth…

Aofeng lay on the grass, watching with amusement. These people were really going all out – even using things like mosquito repellent and toilet air fresheners. These strong-smelling distractions could easily mask the scent trails, but as long as the dogs stayed calm and focused, they could still filter out the interference.

Ten minutes passed quickly. By the end of the first round, the top-performing dog had found nine balls, and even the lowest-scoring one had passed.

Once Zhang Meng finished tallying the scores, he announced the start of the second round. The dogs performed similarly to the first round, and the intense ten minutes flew by. The average score for this group was excellent, a very solid showing.

After recording the Assistant Trainers’ reports, Zhang Meng kicked off the third round.

Aofeng shed his earlier lazy demeanor and followed Song Changfeng with high spirits, ready to show off his skills and make Song Changfeng rethink his opinion. Whether it was the desire to win or something else, Aofeng’s performance today was even better than usual. The distraction props barely fazed him. Each time, he circled a haystack, took a few quick sniffs, and then started digging with his paw to uncover the ball.

One ball after another was found among the haystacks. By the time he had located all ten balls, only half the allotted time had passed. The Assistant Trainer in charge of recording the results stood there dumbfounded, then quickly hit the stopwatch and rushed over to Zhang Meng to report the data.

Zhang Meng glanced at Aofeng, thinking to himself, could it be that Director Li’s wish is finally coming true this year? Could their base really be producing a champion dog? He wasn’t entirely sure how the police dogs from other bases were performing, but finding ten hidden items in such a large area within five minutes, especially with distractions present, had to be rare.

Aofeng shot a slightly smug glance at Song Changfeng, thinking, he should finally acknowledge my skills now, right? What he didn’t know was that Song Changfeng was also staring at him thoughtfully.

During the search task just now, Song Changfeng had been closely observing Aofeng’s every move. He noticed that this police dog was extremely disciplined. The distractions might as well not have existed for all the attention Aofeng paid them. He remained laser-focused on his mission to find the balls. That was precisely why he could complete the task in half the time.

In addition, Song Changfeng noticed something else: this police dog seemed to have a strong aversion to getting dirty. Every time he found a ball, he would use his paw to dig it out. Normally, a dog’s mouth is its primary tool. When searching for objects, they usually lower their heads, sniff carefully, and once they find something, they typically go straight in with their mouths. But Aofeng, aside from two instances where Song Changfeng had deliberately avoided pulling the ball out so Aofeng had no choice but to pick it up with his mouth, used only his paws throughout the entire task.

All these unusual traits piqued Song Changfeng’s interest. He decided that once today’s assessment was over, he would take a trip to the Archives Room to review Aofeng’s past performance.

Translator’s Notes