Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  “Famous! Wake up!”


  Famous yawned, shook its head and stood up.

  The Imagined Landscape was still clear in its mind, but it had gradually become accustomed to switching between reality and its Imagined Landscape.

  It was troublesome for Famous to explain to Old Time Tea the process of making a movie. It exhausted its patience before Old Time Tea could understand what the positions of director, producer, and cinematographer meant. In its Imagined Landscape, Famous kept telling the same story, of how the food guy in the Dog Warrior crew gave a box of dog feces to the production director, from the dusk till it fell asleep. When it woke up, it had returned to the Amazing Fate Pet Shop.

  Zhang Zian remembered that when Famous was new to the pet shop, it usually woke up the moment he woke up. Nowadays, it slept deeper and longer. He wanted to let it sleep longer since filming was tiresome. Today, he needed to visit the police dog nursing home with Old Yang, and Famous had already told him that it wanted to check it out with them. So, he could only let Famous sleep a while longer before they had to leave.

  The set didn’t need the police dogs today. The scenes were about the hardships faced by border control police officers who were trapped in the snowy plateau, and how they supported each other after the police dogs ran back to headquarters for help. Hence, why Zhang Zian and Famous did not need to report to the set today.

  After breakfast, Lu Yiyun came in to work. Zhang Zian gave her the instructions for the day before he heard a car horn.

  It was Old Yang’s turn to pick up Zhang Zian. He drove a car provided by the crew. He leaned against the car, narrowing his eyes to look at the pet shop while he smoked.

  Zhang Zian had been ready a long time ago. He led Famous out the shop.

  “Nice shop, how’s business?” Not yet finished with his cigarette, Old Yang did not want to drive right now.

  “It’s okay. Just means to an end. I have more freedom than if I worked for a company.” Zhang Zian laughed.

  “Good for you! When I retire, would you hire me?” Old Yang said half-jokingly.

  Zhang Zian, going along with the joke, said, “Of course, I’ll hire you! Don’t you want to enjoy retirement, though?”


  Old Yang threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it to put it out. “I don’t like idle days, and I don’t really get along with other people. Isn’t there a saying, ‘the more humans I see, the more affection I have for dogs?’ After I retire, I think it’s best for me to stay in a dog-related job. I don’t care about the money. If I can’t find such a job, I’ll consider opening a nursing home for retired police dogs. Let’s get in the car, it’s cold.”


  Zhang Zian made Famous sit in the back seat while he sat in the front.

  Old Yang started to drive towards the edge of the city.

  “Master Yang, is it true that all police dog nursing homes are privately owned?” Zhang Zian asked.

  Old Yang watched the road and slowly replied, “As far as I know, all are privately owned. I haven’t heard of a police dog nursing home that is run by the government, at least not in Binhai City.”


  Old Yang further explained, “Military dogs and police dogs are not the same thing. After retirement, there are only two paths for the military dogs. One is to stay in an exclusive military dog nursing home, and the other is to be adopted conditionally because military dogs only serve the army. Police dogs’ circumstances are more complicated because they are frequently recruited by departments other than the guard system. Theoretically, the departments in which the police dogs serve are supposed to be responsible for the dogs’ retirement benefits. However, there are difficulties in the actual operation of such a policy because some departments do not have the ability or are not willing to provide for the retired police dogs. This is how the privately-run police dog nursing homes come in handy. ”


  “So, anyone can run a police dog nursing home?” Zhang Zian asked. Famous listened carefully from the back seat.

  “No. The nursing homes are usually run by former police dog handlers, or trainers like me, who care about the dogs. It’s hard for ordinary people to open a nursing home even if they want to. It’s even more difficult than adopting police dogs.”


  The police dog nursing home they were heading to was located in the countryside.

  Old Yang said, “Zhang, what you said about filmmakers in Western countries having humanistic concern for animals, may be true. I’m telling you, Westerners treat their military dogs and police dogs poorly.”


  “Master Yang, please elaborate. I don’t really know about these things.” Zhang Zian inquired.

  Since he was bored, Old Yang said, “There are internal publications in our police dog training base that address the training methods of military dogs and police dogs in the Western countries. I can’t tell you what they say, but I can tell you is that these publications address the issue of providing for the aged police dogs and military dogs in the West. I remember from 2013 to 2016, the British Ministry of Defense had euthanised 231 dogs, some of which were less than 8 years old. Of course, most of the dogs were sick or injured, and some dogs were too old. However, there were 45 adult dogs, that were neither sick nor injured, euthanized on the grounds that they were “unable to perform their duties to the required level.” The sentence is very awkward, but I remember it very clearly.”


  Zhang Zian went silent.

  He already felt sorry for the retired German Shepherds that were executed by the Binhai City police dog training base. However, there were much worse situations that he didn’t even know about. He thought that the British loved their dogs, but they got rid of military dogs like they were worn out shoes.

  “You think only the British do such things? Military dogs in the United States have to be euthanized once they reach the age of ten. The United States Congress signed the bill in 2000 that allowed ordinary people to adopt military dogs after they witnessed retired police dogs getting along with ordinary people.” Old Yang pouted and continued, “Of course, there are also positive examples, like in Israel where the system of ‘one soldier, one dog’ is implemented. When soldiers retire from the army, their dogs are also released from military service at the same time.”


  Zhang Zian understood that the question of how to provide for retired military dogs and police dogs was a problem throughout the world. These dogs had been trained so fiercely that it could be dangerous for the public to have access. However, due to the limited funds, some armies couldn’t afford to continue providing for retired dogs, so for their own convenience, they euthanized the dogs. In the regard of providing for the retired military dogs and police dogs, China might not be the best, but at least it was not the worst.

  The scenery outside the car had changed from high-rise buildings to two-story villas, which proved that they had come to the countryside of Binhai City.

  “Here is the Changle Village. I have to ask locals for directions, since the place is so remote, it’s not on the GPS,” said Old Yang. He rolled down the window to ask an elderly person, “Excuse me. Could you point me in the direction of the nursing home?”


  The man had poor hearing, so after Old Yang asked a second time, he pointed and said, “That way.”


  Old Yang thanked him and drove in the direction the man pointed. Unfortunately, they arrived at a nursing home for the elderly instead of a nursing home for police dogs. A bunch of white-haired elderly men and women were sitting on stools in rows, basking in the sun and flirting with one another.

  Apart from watching the public display of affection, they gained nothing from asking the local. They continued asking a few other people, repeatedly stressing that they were going to the police dog nursing home. Eventually, a young man pointed them in the right direction.

  After many twists and turns, they came to the foot of a hill.

  The large iron gate was closed. A plate that said “Nursing Home” hung above the iron gate. Beside the words, there was a cartoon of a German Shepherd, indicating that this was the nursing home for dogs.

  There was a large area enclosed by a low wall made out of plastic boards. This wall was so low, almost the height of an adult man, it couldn’t prevent thieves from climbing over. On the other hand, no thief would steal from a police dog nursing home.

  Zhang Zian looked at the closed gate and asked worriedly, “Is there anyone here?”


  Old Yang was not sure either. “Let’s get out and take a look.”