Chapter 136: Lenient with Oneself, Strict with Others

Hah!

Zhang Congwen let out a heavy sigh. The last topic he could think of for the moment had been killed by Cheng Xing, and he had no idea what to talk about next. Moreover, with Cheng Xing’s current mindset, there was nothing left to discuss. Therefore, Zhang Congwen decided he had to use a strong remedy to correct her attitude.

He asked, "Do you know that dogs cannot eat chocolate?"

Cheng Xing was taken aback, wondering why Zhang Congwen would suddenly ask such a thing. Furthermore, she had never fed her own dog chocolate. She could only answer honestly, "I know. They say chocolate is like poison to dogs. It’s fine for humans, but it causes poisoning in dogs."

Seeing that Cheng Xing was aware of the dangers of chocolate, Zhang Congwen rattled off a few more names. Then he added, "These are all things that are highly toxic to dogs but harmless to humans."

Cheng Xing furrowed her brows. Although she didn't know why he would suddenly bring these up, mentioning such things in front of a dog owner was sensitive. Not just Cheng Xing, but others in the room also frowned, unsure of what Zhang Congwen was trying to do. Regardless of his intent, bringing these up in a pet-friendly community in front of a dog owner was, at the very least, inappropriate.

Song Jiawei’s brow furrowed even deeper. They weren't here to be paid for training dogs; they were here to demonstrate their expertise in hopes of partnering with the Xingrong Community. Zhang Congwen’s actions could easily jeopardize that cooperation. Song Jiawei wanted to stop him, but he knew Zhang Congwen was never one to act recklessly. He turned his gaze toward Zhu Qingyan, who shook her head slightly, signaling her trust in Zhang Congwen. Seeing this, Song Jiawei had no choice but to let it be.

Then, Zhang Congwen continued, "I have always been strongly opposed to poisoning dogs with these substances, especially pet dogs. But if your dog were to be poisoned this way, not only would I not object, I would applaud it. Do you know why?"

Everyone was stunned. This was a bombshell. Saying this to a dog owner was clearly an invitation to a fight. Cheng Xing stared at Zhang Congwen in disbelief. She hadn't expected him to say something so harsh. It took a long time for her to recover from the shock, but the expression on her face made it clear that she was furious. To maintain her composure, she asked, "Because Apple bites people?"

Her tone was icy, as if she were ready to argue with Zhang Congwen at any moment. The atmosphere in the room grew extremely tense. If Zhang Congwen couldn't provide a good explanation for his words, the cooperation between the Canine Language Training Base and the Xingrong Community would certainly come to an end. For the staff of the Xingrong Community, the failure of the partnership was a minor matter, but if these words caused negative repercussions for the community, that would be a major crisis.

Zhang Congwen’s expression remained unchanged as he shook his head.

Cheng Xing was startled and asked, "Then why?"

Zhang Congwen pointed a finger at Cheng Xing and said only one word: "You."

"Me?" Cheng Xing’s brows knit together, failing to grasp his meaning.

Zhang Congwen continued, "The reason Apple has become the way it is now isn't because of provocation from other dogs, but because of you. Your way of walking the dog not only harms other dogs and pedestrians but could even injure children or the elderly. If something happens and the other party has a short temper and uses the methods I mentioned to poison Apple, or kills it some other way, I could only say it was deserved."

"In other words, the fact that your Apple is still alive today isn't because you raised it well or protected it well, but because everyone around you is tolerating you and your dog. But if one day, because your dog bites someone or someone else's dog again, someone decides they no longer want to tolerate you and your dog and kills it, could you accept that?"

Zhang Congwen’s words stunned Cheng Xing. Though the anger in her eyes hadn't faded, she didn't dare to say anything aggressive. No matter how much she doted on her dog, she knew that while what Zhang Congwen said was hard to accept, it was a real possibility.

She could only say, "I couldn't accept it."

Seeing the moment was right, Zhang Congwen pressed on, "If you were out one day and another dog suddenly attacked and mauled your dog, or bit you, what would you do?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xing immediately replied, "I would definitely demand an explanation from them. After all, it would be because they didn't manage their own dog properly."

What a classic case of being lenient with oneself and strict with others. The others were left speechless. Cheng Xing hadn't even thought before blurting that out—it was clearly her honest opinion.

Zhang Congwen fell silent, giving Cheng Xing space to process her thoughts. After a long while, he laid down five requirements for her to keep her dog.

First, she must wear a prong collar when walking the dog to strengthen control.
Second, whether going out or having guests over, the dog must wear a muzzle unconditionally.
Third, the leash must be replaced with a standard one, shortened to about one meter, and the shock-absorbing extender must be removed.
Fourth, each dog must be walked separately; they must never be walked together.
Fifth, she must increase her awareness of risks. If she encounters other dogs, she should try to detour. If a detour is impossible, she must shorten the leash and keep the dog under control.

After he finished, Cheng Xing asked, "What is a prong collar?"

Zhang Congwen gave Song Jiawei a look, and Song Jiawei immediately pulled a prong collar from his bag. It was a metal device, similar to a collar, but with two rows of blunt, inward-facing prongs inside. It was obvious just by looking at it that it wouldn't be comfortable for a dog to wear.

Zhang Congwen said, "A prong collar isn't a good thing, nor is it something a normal dog needs to wear. It is only for specific types of dogs."

Cheng Xing looked at the collar with a pained expression and couldn't help but ask, "It must be very painful for the dog to wear, right?"

Zhang Congwen explained, "Just wearing it is certainly uncomfortable for the dog, but it won't cause pain. However, if it tries to lunge, the prongs will dig into its neck—that will indeed be painful. Are you saying you’d feel sorry for your dog if it had to wear it?"

Cheng Xing nodded silently.

Zhang Congwen continued, "Do you remember those toxic things I mentioned earlier? Either use this, or one day, your dog might be poisoned. Even though I said it’s a possibility and not a certainty, it is still a risk. You choose between the two. Which one do you pick?"

Cheng Xing’s face was full of conflict. She didn't want to put a torture-like device on her dog, but she didn't want the poisoning to happen either, even if the odds were low.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhang Congwen added more pressure: "I only said there was a certain probability of it being poisoned, and honestly, the odds aren't high. If you are willing to gamble on those odds, I can accept that."

She could only shake her head and say, "I don't want to gamble with those odds. I just want it to live a good life."

Zhang Congwen struck while the iron was hot: "Then do you think it’s better for your dog to maul someone else’s dog, or for it to suffer a little pain to prevent a biting accident?"

After saying this, Cheng Xing didn't answer. She remained silent for a long time, eventually taking the prong collar from Zhang Congwen’s hand and silently fastening it around Apple’s neck.

"I'm sorry."

The whisper was faint, but Zhang Congwen heard it clearly. His brows furrowed, and he asked with a serious expression, "Excuse me, I didn't hear clearly. What did you just say to the dog?"

Although Zhang Congwen claimed he hadn't heard and his tone sounded like an inquiry, it sounded more like he was interrogating her.