CCTV9英语新闻：Former policeman runs care center for retired police dogs

In the suburban area of the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a former policeman has built a nursing home for retired police dogs.  It's the first one in the province, perhaps in all of China. CGTN reporter Hu Nan visited the care center and brings us the story. 

 

Bai Yifei devoted his entire career to police work, including 20 years training police dogs, and as he prepared to retire, he knew he could not leave his old buddies behind, to a fate that no one could predict. So Bai expanded his dog training school – to include special quarters for his four-legged colleagues, who had also devoted entire careers to service.

 

Prince is the oldest and his favorite. He developed skin cancer two years ago. Now, every day counts. 

 

Retired at about 8 or 9 years old, these lucky dogs were sent here, to their former trainer. Officer Bai knows every detail about his old friends, their pride and pain.

 

The reality is, these dogs don’t have much time left. Police dogs generally have a shorter life span than an average pet – about 12-13 years -- due to the harsh training and working environment. Running a nursing home for them means frequent farewells and tears.

 

"I bury them in the woods, one tree for each dog. I chose this corner to be their graveyard not because it’s quiet here, but because the woods sit right next to the road. It feels like we salute each other twice every day,” said Bai Yifei, director, Yifei Dog Training School.

 

According to 2016 data, China has more than 11,000 police dogs in 29 provincial police dog centers, and the numbers are rising quickly.

 

As more efforts have been adopted to fight terrorism, more police dogs have been recruited. But what are the lives of these honored servants like after their service period?"

 

Of course, Bai’s nursing home has only a limited capacity and general living conditions make it impossible for most police dog trainers to adopt their own dogs like in the US. But more dog retirement centers may be part of future plans.

 

Bai said the central government has contacted him about the possibility his operation could be copied in other places -- to provide comfortable golden years for more of these royal heroes.