Chapter 87: Adjustment

Ever since the group of officers arrived at the Training Base to receive their police dogs, the place had become much livelier. For officers interacting with police dogs for the first time, understanding what the dogs were trying to express was no easy task.

With the trainers’ help, they were able to spend some time alone with the dogs, but the interactions remained awkward. No matter how they tried to coax them, the police dogs didn’t seem particularly cooperative.

This left some officers feeling a bit frustrated. In their minds, dogs were simple creatures – give them some food and you’d be fast friends. But police dogs were different. From birth, they carried high expectations. While trainers demanded absolute obedience during training, outside of it, these dogs were treated like beloved children.

Though it was hard to describe the look in the eyes of these strangers, the dogs knew—they were different. If the officers didn’t change their mindset and truly see the police dogs as future partners, Director Li, after observing them, had the authority to request their department send someone else.

There was no other choice. Police Dog Training Bases were few and far between across the country, and the number of police dogs trained each year was extremely limited. Countless departments submitted applications, and those selected had been carefully evaluated for both capability and need. In such a situation, as the supplier, the base naturally held the upper hand.

Fortunately, after about a week, everyone had adjusted their mindset and begun to recognize how special these dogs were. They worked hard to learn training techniques and commands from the trainers. When faced with occasional disobedience, they learned to patiently calm the dogs instead of immediately running to the trainers for help. After all, if the trainers always stepped in, the dogs would continue to see them as the real authority figures.

Time flew by. After nearly a month of adjustment, the officers finally formed close bonds with the police dogs. The dogs, too, gradually got used to having these new people by their side. To help deepen this familiarity, the trainers began to reduce their presence. They would simply open the kennel doors and then step away, avoiding any influence that might cause the dogs to waver between the two handlers.

Every time Aofeng saw this scene and heard the confused murmurs of the police dogs, he felt deeply moved. All he could do was analyze the situation from different angles and explain to the dogs that growing up meant eventually parting ways with their trainers—just like how they were taken from their mothers after weaning as pups.

Hearing this, the police dogs nodded as if they half-understood. Their memories of puppyhood weren’t very clear, but somewhere in their minds, they remembered a time long ago filled with fear and anxiety. Now that they were older, they no longer panicked like before, but the thought of the impending separation still stirred a quiet, unspoken ache in their hearts.

If April had been the period for psychological desensitization, then by the start of May, the trainers could finally step back. They solemnly handed over the kennel keys to the officers, then took one last lingering look at the eager eyes of the police dogs watching them through the fences, and silently turned to leave.

Behind them stood the officers, saluting in silence. After two months of training, they had come to understand that training a police dog was a tedious and patience-demanding task. Even taking over dogs that were already trained felt like a challenge. They couldn’t even begin to imagine the dedication and effort the trainers had poured into raising and training these dogs from scratch.

As if sensing something, the police dogs grew restless. They rose on their hind legs, paws against the fences, craning their necks and barking nonstop at the retreating figures, hoping they would stop. But even as those figures disappeared around the corner, not one of the beloved trainer dads turned back for a final glance.

Sadness and confusion welled up in the dogs’ eyes. Low whimpers escaped their throats, as if asking, “Why is it like this?” Little did they know, around that corner, the trainers’ eyes had reddened too. After nearly a year and a half of living side by side, they found it hard to part with these lovable police dogs. The training process had been dull and exhausting, but the sense of accomplishment afterward was something nothing else could replace.

The sorrowful atmosphere even stirred emotions in Aofeng, who lived in the last kennel. He couldn’t help but feel sentimental. Once again, he was grateful that his partner, Song Changfeng, had successfully transferred to a new position. Otherwise, he might have been among those tearfully saying goodbye today.

During the first week of May, a heavy atmosphere hung over the entire base. The police dogs dragged their tails all day, listless and low-spirited, while the trainers walked around with slumped shoulders, sighing from time to time. Everyone knew that separation was inevitable, but understanding it and accepting it were two very different things.

Fortunately, time is the best remedy. It can soothe all wounds. As the days passed, the mood at the base gradually lifted, and laughter and cheer returned just in time for the Dragon Boat Festival¹.

The Dragon Boat Festival traditions include dragon boat races, eating sticky rice dumplings², and drinking realgar wine. The races were too far away for them to watch, and realgar wine was out of the question. Only the rice dumplings were truly suitable for everyone, young and old. Of course, when it came to edible things, Aofeng was clearly not included.

Sticky rice dumplings are made of glutinous rice and fillings. Glutinous rice is sticky and oily, hard for dogs to digest, and can easily cause diarrhea. As for the fillings, the base had prepared salted egg yolk and pork, so they were obviously making salted egg yolk pork dumplings. For Aofeng, that amount of salt was definitely over the limit.

Aofeng sniffed the fragrant aroma of the dumplings and listened to the satisfying chewing sounds around him, feeling a pang of frustration. Back when he was human, he had loved glutinous rice dishes. And now? He couldn’t even have a taste. Being a dog was just too dull.

Just as Aofeng was thinking this, the next moment, Master Zhang came out carrying a tray of green-wrapped dumplings and dropped one into each police dog’s food bowl.

Aofeng sprang to his feet, staring at Master Zhang in disbelief. Had Old Zhang developed a kind of glutinous rice that dogs could eat? But the dumplings in their bowls didn’t smell like the ones the humans had. Those were rich with the scent of rice, but these gave off a strong meaty aroma. Aofeng sniffed again. He’d bet anything that whatever was wrapped in those bamboo leaves, it was meat.

Unfortunately, a one-man bet didn’t mean much. A few minutes later, the answer was revealed. Sure enough, inside was a big chunk of meat. The bamboo leaves had infused it with a delicate fragrance, and compared to regular braised pork, this was on a whole other level of delicious.

Lying on the ground, Aofeng happily devoured Master Zhang’s special meat dumpling, all thoughts of boredom long forgotten.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. Dragon Boat Festival: Also known as the Duanwu Festival, it falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. It traditionally commemorates the life and death of the ancient scholar-official Qu Yuan and is associated with warding off bad luck and pestilence during the onset of summer. ↩
2. Sticky rice dumplings: Known as zongzi, these are traditional snacks made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. There is a famous cultural divide in China between northern sweet versions (often filled with dates or bean paste) and southern savory versions (filled with meat, egg yolk, or mushrooms). ↩