Police officers tend to have a certain gruffness about them to ensure that criminals are intimidated by them and respect their authority. Being the friendly and excessively happy dog that he was, Gavel just didn’t fit the bill as a police dog.
You can tell he’s just really not into the job in this photo. Poor guy looks depressed!
The German Shepherd from Queensland, Australia was kicked out of his police dog training program as a result of his friendly demeanor. But, thankfully, he wasn’t just thrown out on the streets on his tuches.
At first, the staff wasn’t sure what to do with Gavel. Eventually, they came up with a brilliant solution when they realized that his personable nature was perfect for the world of politics.
“Such a handsome boy, and a great story!” one Facebook commenter wrote. “We are all gifted in our own way, it’s just a matter of being given the chance to find our niche. Clearly, Gavel has found his!!”
Now, Gavel is living in the Government House, the official home of the Queensland Governor, as the Vice-Regal Dog.
“There were lots of comments from people at Open Day on the weekend expressing how much they enjoyed following via social media Gavel’s progression from aspiring police pooch to Vice-Regal Dog,” a post on the Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey AC’s Facebook page. “The truth is that we at Government House have loved sharing his story with you!”
Now, instead of chasing down criminals, Gavel attends political functions and welcomes guests to the Government House.
He even has his own official ceremonial coat that includes the state’s coat of arms, according to Mashable.
“He has outgrown four ceremonial coats, undergone a career change (his official title is now Gavel VRD, ‘Vice-Regal Dog’), and brought untold joy to the lives of the governor, Mrs de Jersey, Government House staff, and the thousands of Queenslanders who have since visited the estate,” Jersey told the BBC.
Gavel descends from a long line of pedigree, which should have made him a great tracker as a police dog. However, he lacked the “aptitude” to get the job done.
Basically, Gavel just wanted to be a dog and not a crime fighter.
Now he makes countless people in Queensland smile.
“We hope Gavel’s with us for a long, long time into the future,” Jersey told 7 News Brisbane, according to the BBC.
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