Chapter Twenty-Six: A Helpless Choice

"Mr. Xie, it’s us," Song Jiawei greeted enthusiastically upon seeing the owner of the villa.

"Hello, Mr. Xie," Zhang Congwen followed suit, echoing the greeting.

There was no need to ask; this man was clearly Song Jiawei’s client.

Song Jiawei’s client was a middle-aged man with a scholarly air. Though he wasn’t overweight, his beer belly was conspicuously prominent.

"Wait here," Mr. Xie said upon seeing Song Jiawei, leaving the guests in the courtyard as he turned back into the house. He soon returned, holding an iron chain.

He intended to leash the dog, but the animal refused to cooperate. After much struggle, he finally secured the chain around its neck and tied it to a tree in the yard.

Only after these preparations did Mr. Xie open the door to welcome Song Jiawei and Zhang Congwen inside.

"Mr. Xie, allow me to introduce you," Song Jiawei said. "This is the dog trainer I mentioned, Zhang Congwen."

Mr. Xie shook Zhang Congwen’s hand with polite formality before sizing him up.

"So this is the dog trainer you spoke of, and he’s so young," Mr. Xie remarked jokingly. "My dog is vicious, so be careful not to get bitten. It’s already bitten four or five people. I couldn’t afford it if it happened again."

His meaning was clear: he thought Zhang Congwen was a bit too young for the job.

While a dog trainer’s abilities aren’t necessarily measured by age, Zhang Congwen’s youthful appearance—his features still retaining traces of adolescence—gave an impression of inexperience.

Song Jiawei understood the subtext of Mr. Xie’s words. To dispel his client’s doubts, he laughed, "Don’t underestimate this young man, Mr. Xie. I’m not praising him just because he’s my friend; he’s truly skilled with dogs. I wouldn’t recommend him to you lightly—I’ve seen him train several dogs myself."

Zhang Congwen felt a pang of embarrassment. He had only trained two dogs so far, but in Song Jiawei’s words, it became several. Such effortless exaggeration.

Despite his feelings, Zhang Congwen didn’t show it. He didn’t want to contradict his friend, so he simply nodded and smiled at Mr. Xie.

Mr. Xie glanced at Zhang Congwen again, half skeptical, and asked, "So, Trainer Zhang, what do you think of my dog?"

Mr. Xie was clearly hoping to hear something insightful, something that would prove Zhang Congwen’s competence. To his surprise, Zhang Congwen began by pointing out flaws in the villa’s courtyard design.

"The fence around your yard is a bit too low for this dog. When we arrived, your dog tried several times to leap out and bite us. Though it didn’t succeed, it’s still a risk. I recommend raising the wall—at least by half its current height."

"And the gaps between the railings are too wide. It’s not enough for your dog to squeeze through, but people can reach their hands in. If someone tries to tease the dog or feed it, there’s a real chance they could be bitten."

Mr. Xie was taken aback; Zhang Congwen’s points were spot-on. Previously, there had been some clutter piled in a corner of the yard. It wasn’t very high, so he hadn’t paid much attention. But because of that oversight, the dog had used the debris to leap out several times, even injuring someone. The family was baffled until they installed a surveillance camera and discovered the dog had used a pile barely ten centimeters high to escape.

After that incident, Mr. Xie had hastily cleared the yard’s corners.

Moreover, someone had indeed been bitten while reaching through the railings to pet the dog. Mr. Xie couldn’t understand why anyone would risk touching such a fierce animal, but since it was his dog that bit them, he had to pay substantial compensation.

There had also been an incident with another dog. A dog owner walking past had, perhaps irritated by Mr. Xie’s dog, allowed his own dog to bark at it through the fence. Somehow, Mr. Xie’s dog managed to bite the other dog’s leg through the gap, nearly crippling it.

"Trainer Zhang is absolutely right," Mr. Xie said with a wry smile. "But that’s quite a bit of work."

Clearly, Mr. Xie was reluctant to invest in such renovations for the dog. He had already mentioned, if the dog couldn’t be trained, he’d have it euthanized. Naturally, he didn’t want to sink more costs into it.

As a businessman, he always considered matters from a commercial perspective.

Zhang Congwen thought for a moment. "Then just partition off a section and build a kennel. Let it stay inside, and don’t let it roam freely in the yard."

"Does it need that much space?" Song Jiawei couldn’t help but ask. The area Zhang Congwen indicated was large enough for a person to live in.

"Not that much," Zhang Congwen replied. "Divide it in half. That should be enough."

Half the area would still be about seven or eight square meters by estimation.

"This idea could work," Mr. Xie said. "Anything I should keep in mind?"

"Cover the sides facing the street with solid wood panels or something similar. As long as the dog can’t see passersby, it’ll reduce outside stimuli," Zhang Congwen explained.

Mr. Xie was a man of action. As soon as Zhang Congwen finished, he made a phone call. After hanging up, he said, "The workers will come tomorrow to install the kennel."

He sighed, "I hope the kennel will be put to good use. I know I said if the dog can’t be trained, I’d have it euthanized, but after all, it’s a living creature. Unless absolutely necessary, I’d rather not do that."

Zhang Congwen felt reassured. From his words, Zhang Congwen could tell Mr. Xie was an open-minded man, not indifferent to the life of his dog.

He felt deep empathy for Mr. Xie’s dilemma. Sometimes, dog owners have to make hard choices between people and their pets. In pet care, he always advocated a human-centered approach—whether raising or training, people must come first.

Human rights must always outweigh those of animals. Only when human interests are protected should animal welfare be maximized. This principle applies not just to dogs, but to all creatures.

With Mr. Xie’s attitude clear, Zhang Congwen relaxed and began asking about the dog’s history. He was midway through the questions when Mr. Xie received a phone call. Apologetically, he said, "Sorry, there's an urgent matter at the office I need to handle. Will my absence affect the training?"

Zhang Congwen hesitated. "It’s best if the owner is present to assist."