Paw patrol: China’s most popular new police officer is a corgi

(CNN) — China’s sprawling security apparatus has a far-from-cuddly reputation, but the country’s most popular new police officer is making waves on social media with his stubby legs, wide grin and wagging tail.

Fuzai the corgi puppy, whose name means “Lucky Boy,” is a reserve police dog in Weifang, a city in the eastern province of Shandong. The uniformed pooch made his debut at an open-day event organized by Weifang police earlier this month, according to state-run media.

He immediately became a social media phenomenon, with one video of Fuzai viewed more than 1.3 million times on the Chinese platform Weibo, where a related hashtag has been viewed nearly 16 million times.

Fuzai began training at two months old and now, at six months, is outperforming many of his peers, according to state media.

Some of these peers are featured on Fuzai’s official account on Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – with the account run by Weifang police. Videos show other puppies in training, including a bloodhound named Coffee and an explosives detection dog named Dumpling.

Other videos show Fuzai doing drills like locating firecrackers under a car – and being swarmed by adoring members of the public during walks.

One popular video with 38,000 “likes” shows a line of fiercely professional-looking German Shepherds – a breed used by police departments around the world for their strength and intelligence – walking beside their trainers, many wearing muzzles.

At the end of the line is Fuzai – strapped to the back of an officer, paws dangling, like a fuzzy backpack.

“His strong environmental adaptability, insensitivity, his desire to possess items and his fondness for food are particularly conducive to our training,” said Wang Yanan, head of the Weifang police dog base, according to state-run newspaper China Daily.

His short legs also give him an advantage over other dogs in searching narrow spaces, the newspaper added, citing police.

Fans on social media joked that Fuzai’s universal appeal made him a “publicity dog” – and asked whether other dogs would bully him for his short legs. One Douyin user wrote: “Corgis can be plainclothes police, they attract less attention than German Shepherds.”

Others expressed envy at Fuzai’s cushy government job – which are in high demand in China due to their stable pay and generous benefits, often dubbed the “iron rice bowl.”

“Look at Shandong! Even the corgi baby has passed the (civil servant) exam!” one Weibo user exclaimed.

Another Douyin user said, “He has a job…with the Shandong department…which I could not get,” accompanied with a number of tearful emojis.

The country’s police forces range from public security departments and neighborhood patrols to more heavy-handed state security and paramilitary forces as well as a highly secretive civilian spy agency.

The opaque court system answers to the Chinese Communist Party, and conviction rates for those who appear in the dock are higher than 99%.

Chinese police dogs have attracted national attention (and adoration) before. On 2021, a police academy in Liaoning province gained online traction for auctioning off dogs that failed to qualify in the police dog training program.

Many had failed for being “timid,” “weak” or “frail” – sparking a wave of amusement and sympathy from online users.

The-CNN-Wire
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