Chapter Ninety-Four: To Abandon a Child Is Inhuman

Qian Kouhe had not lied; it was simply a rather uncanny coincidence. He had come here only because, by chance, he had noticed a new dog training facility opening with a fresh signboard. Out of professional habit, he had lingered to take a look.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Yang Baoqian arrive on a tricycle.

Qian Kouhe did not know Yang Baoqian, and when Yang Baoqian had adopted this Jindo dog, they had never met either. But Qian Kouhe knew the Jindo well.

That dog was quite famous at their rescue center. Because of its habit of biting people, the center had invited three dog trainers in succession to work with it.

The first trainer had relied entirely on pressure training. Not only did the dog remain untrained, but the trainer himself was bitten several times.

The next two trainers did not actually train the dog at all. After observing it for a while, they reached the same conclusion: the dog could no longer be trained and should be humanely euthanized.

Qian Kouhe had originally planned to begin the euthanasia process a little later, only for Yang Baoqian to adopt the dog right then and there, and for him to happen to witness the whole thing.

“How can you prove you’re the manager of that rescue center? To me, you look more like you’re in league with that Yang fellow,” said Aunt Liu beside him, equally unwilling to believe Qian Kouhe’s words.

It was hardly surprising that Aunt Liu said this; many people did not quite believe him. Most, however, felt that since he had offered to pay for the dog training, his relationship with Yang Baoqian was not all that important.

Aunt Liu alone refused to let the matter go, insisting that Qian Kouhe prove he was indeed the chairman of the Heartfelt Stray Dog Rescue Center.

With no other choice, Qian Kouhe opened the rescue center’s official social media account on his phone and found a photo of himself. Only then did Aunt Liu believe him.

Even so, Aunt Liu remained relentless. “Because of your negligence, this other person’s opening day almost turned into a farce. You bear responsibility too. It won’t be settled just by paying for the training and saying a few nice words.”

Many felt that Aunt Liu was making a mountain out of a molehill. After all, even if the rescue center had not been involved, Yang Baoqian would still have found some other dog from somewhere else to cause trouble.

Yet to everyone’s surprise, Qian Kouhe actually agreed with her. “You’re right. That’s why I’ve also decided, on behalf of the Heartfelt Stray Dog Rescue Center, to formally extend a request for cooperation to the Canine Language Training Center. In the future, if we encounter any stray dogs we cannot handle, we will send them here for training. Trainer Zhang, what do you think?”

The moment he said this, no one in the entire place made a sound.

For a newly opened training facility to receive a proposal for cooperation on its very first day was rare beyond words. It would be an exaggeration to say such a thing never happened, but it was certainly as rare as the finest feather.

Usually, when this happened, it meant either the two sides had long-standing connections, or the other party had considerable backing.

But looking at Zhang Congwen’s training center, it was clear there had been no prior dealings with the Heartfelt Stray Dog Rescue Center. Moreover, the Canine Language Training Center at present consisted of only three people, and its core trainer, Zhang Congwen, was still an obscure figure.

Qian Kouhe had thought it through very carefully. He was doing this entirely for the sake of the Heartfelt Stray Dog Rescue Center.

The rescue center did not only rescue stray dogs; it also gave some of them basic training. Once a dog met the standards, they would find an adoptive family so that it could step back into a human home. Dogs that truly could not be trained would be humanely dealt with, that is, euthanized.

They did all this not only for the dogs, but also for the people living in the same areas as the dogs. Every stray dog they rescued meant one fewer potential dog-bite incident, less risk of rabies transmission, and better protection of the local environment.

What they did was highly meaningful.

However, although they usually gave stray dogs some training, the lessons were rather basic, and they still struggled with dogs that had severe behavioral problems. Even though humane disposal was an option, it was one of last resort.

If some of the more troubled dogs could still be returned to families, that would naturally be better.

Although Qian Kouhe’s ability as a dog trainer was far inferior to Zhang Congwen’s, he spent his days around dogs. His eye was naturally much sharper than that of the average person.

When Zhang Congwen trained that Jindo, he had already seen that Zhang Congwen’s skill was extraordinary. He knew dogs far better than ordinary people did, and he controlled the balance of pressure and release with remarkable precision, every step carried out exactly as it should be.

A person like that was precisely what their rescue center lacked.

Zhang Congwen froze for a moment, not having expected the matter to develop in this direction. He quickly recovered, smiled at Qian Kouhe, and pointed at Song Jiawei and Zhu Qingyan. “You shouldn’t be asking me about business matters like this. You should be asking the two of them. I only handle the dogs; they take care of everything else.”

Song Jiawei and Zhu Qingyan discussed it quietly for a while, then finally nodded in agreement.

A new shop needed business above all else. When business came knocking, how could they possibly refuse?

Of course, this was only a verbal agreement for now; the concrete details would have to be discussed later.

“For the moment, let’s solve the issue of this Jindo first. We needn’t rush the cooperation,” Zhang Congwen said. “Since your rescue center intends to take this dog back and handle its later training, let’s first make clear what needs to be done afterward.”

At the same time, he called out to Song Jiawei. “Hang a banner up at the entrance.”

Song Jiawei blinked, not understanding what Zhang Congwen meant. “What should it say?”

“Just write, ‘Abandoning a dog makes you less than human,’” Zhang Congwen said.

“Got it!” Song Jiawei immediately scampered off enthusiastically to prepare the banner.

Zhang Congwen led Qian Kouhe into the room where the Jindo was kept and began having him try the same training method Zhang had just used.

Clearly, the Jindo did not treat Qian Kouhe as kindly as it had treated Zhang Congwen.

When Qian Kouhe tried to make it lie down, the dog braced all four legs against the floor, stubborn as a mule, absolutely refusing to submit. In the end, Qian Kouhe gritted his teeth and pressed down hard, and only then did the Jindo lie on the ground.

But when it came time to have the Jindo roll onto its side, the dog was still utterly uncooperative. No matter how hard Qian Kouhe tried, it simply refused to lie down.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Qian Kouhe gave up on the side-lying step altogether and lifted the dog straight into his arms, letting it lie against his chest. The Jindo naturally struggled violently.

But with Zhang Congwen helping from the side, the dog was eventually forced to yield.

By the final step, the massage, Qian Kouhe was much more meticulous than Zhang Congwen and gave the Jindo an exceptionally comfortable massage. By the time the entire process was over, the dog was still lying on the ground and refused to get up.

After the training was fully concluded and everyone had been seen off, Zhang Congwen and Song Jiawei returned to their rental room, exhausted, and it was already very late.

Only when he lay in bed did Zhang Congwen finally have time to take out his phone and check his messages.

“Who is this?”

The moment he opened his phone, he saw an unread message sent at noon. The person who had sent it felt completely unfamiliar to Zhang Congwen, and for a moment he could not recall who it was.

The message read: Trainer Zhang, if you have time, could you come to our dog ranch? We have a dog here that needs training.