China’s first police Corgi has 400,000 followers and a nose for trouble

With a keen sense of smell and legs that seem too short for his body, Fu Zai has won a huge social media audience that has followed him doing official duties since he started as a sniffer dog last fall. He was a puppy when a trainer spotted him at a park and recruited him to Weifang Public Security Bureau in Shandong.A love of earning treats as rewards has earned Fu Zai strong performance reviews. But it’s also proved a challenge, as his trainer has found that keeping him in line is not easy.Fu Zai was caught on camera recently grabbing a bite of a sausage in a child’s hand during patrol. Officers have since tried to train him to better resist food, but many on social media offered support — and free sausages — for Fu Zai the next time he patrolled the streets. In another video, some of the corgi’s toys and snacks — part of a Lunar New Year “bonus”— were confiscated for sleeping on the job and using his bowl as a urinal.Experts said such behaviour is normal for corgis. “That’s why they’re challenging, too, because they get distracted pretty easily,” said Leonardo Palacio, owner of a training school in Connecticut.Fu Zai is an unusual choice for police work. Traditionally, corgis were bred to work on farms, herding cattle by biting their ankles. In recent times, they have become popular choices for pets, most famously associated with Queen Elizabeth II. But some have retained the propensity to nip. That trait might dissuade trainers when assessing the suitability of a dog for disciplined forces, said a trainer at Hong Kong Canine.Fu Zai’s trainer said he had initially ruled out a corgi as a police dog because of the breed’s reputation. Meeting Fu Zai changed his mind. He later invited Fu Zai to train at the police base. Over the next few months, the corgi excelled in detecting explosives. Moreover, he could fit under tight spaces some other dogs couldn’t reach.Fu Zai became a full-fledged member of Weifang police in Oct. He has since been beamed around the internet as a friendly face for the force, making frequent appearances on its official account on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. A separate account, named “Fu Zai and his comrades,” has more than 400,000 followers. But the drive for food that helped him land the job also gotten him into some of his troubles. Whether as temptation he can’t resist or a treat used in training, there will probably be more sausage in Fu Zai’s future.