Chapter Ninety-Five: Tibetan Mastiff

Seeing the message from this man, Zhang Congwen spent quite some time before finally remembering who he was: the owner of the blue wolfhound that had nearly broken free while Zhang Congwen, Song Jiawei, and Zhu Qingyan were visiting the dog market that day.

After adding each other as friends, the man and Zhang Congwen had never spoken again. Zhang Congwen had long since put the matter out of his mind, and never expected the other party would still remember him.

Not only that, but the moment he learned Zhang Congwen’s dog-training center had opened, he immediately invited him over to train a dog.

"All right. Send me the address. We’ll come over tomorrow," Zhang Congwen replied at once.

Ding-dong.

The reply came quickly, a location pin. The name displayed on it was Dingxi Dog Farm.

Zhang Congwen had not expected the other man to still be awake so late. He had originally wanted to chat a little longer and ask about the dog’s specific condition, but before he could even send the words he had typed, he had drifted off into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Zhang Congwen dragged Song Jiawei along and headed straight for Dingxi Dog Farm.

Originally, Song Jiawei had planned to meet Qian Kouhe today to discuss cooperation, but since Dingxi Dog Farm was out in the countryside, the roads were inconvenient and they had to bring a lot of equipment, he could only drive Zhang Congwen there.

As for the matter of negotiation, Zhu Qingyan could only go speak with the other side alone.

Inside the used van Zhang Congwen had specifically bought for the training center, Song Jiawei grumbled, "I really think you should find time to learn how to drive. I’m supposed to be running business, not being your chauffeur. How am I supposed to work like this? And you’re training a dog, yet you bring all this stuff. I never saw you carrying all this before."

As for Song Jiawei complaining that he could not drive, Zhang Congwen merely smiled and said nothing.

There was a reason he still did not know how to drive. He simply disliked driving-related things, and more than that, he always felt that if he got behind the wheel, something bad might happen. Deep down, he had always resisted the idea of learning. The moment he imagined himself driving, an unaccountable fear would rise in his heart.

But regarding the latter half of Song Jiawei’s complaint, Zhang Congwen still explained patiently, "Now that we’ve started a company, our process has to look professional. At the very least, we need to make people see that we are professional."

Song Jiawei was dismissive. "I don’t see anything professional about it. I’ve never even heard of dog training involving this many surveillance cameras. Anyone who didn’t know better would think we sold cameras."

Zhang Congwen could not be bothered to explain further. He turned his head toward the window and enjoyed the scenery along the way.

When they arrived, the two got out of the car, and the director of Dingxi Dog Farm came over with a broad smile. "You didn’t reply last night, and I was worried you hadn’t seen the location I sent."

Zhang Congwen felt a little awkward. "I was too tired last night and fell asleep before I knew it. Please forgive me, Director Ding."

"Understandable, understandable," Director Ding said.

"Where’s the dog? Let’s go take a look," Zhang Congwen said.

"Right here," Director Ding said, pointing at the dog kennel nearby.

The problematic dog he was talking about was a black Tibetan mastiff.

It was already five years old, and beside it were two other Tibetan mastiffs. The three were usually kept in the kennel by the farm’s front gate. The reason was twofold: first, to guard the place; second, to serve as a sort of signboard for the farm.

The Tibetan mastiffs confined in the kennel were enormous and looked extremely fierce, their voices deep and intimidating. Whenever they saw strangers, they barked nonstop. The other two would also bark when they saw unfamiliar people, but after Director Ding soothed them with a few words, they would stop at once and begin observing the newcomers with curiosity.

The problematic Tibetan mastiff, however, showed no intention of stopping. It continued barking at Zhang Congwen and the others. Every time it opened its blood-red jaws, spittle flew everywhere.

Song Jiawei even felt that if someone ripped his own head off and tossed it to this dog, the dog would probably treat it like a candy ball and crack it open.

"What exactly is wrong with this dog?" Song Jiawei asked after watching for a while.

To him, the mastiff was merely a little too fierce and prone to barking. That hardly counted as a major flaw. After all, it was a Tibetan mastiff; being fierce was normal, and barking was simply a dog’s nature.

"It’s just too aggressive," Director Ding said with a shake of his head, pointing in one direction. "Over there is a tourist attraction, and the road in front of our farm is the only route there. On weekends and holidays, a lot of people pass by here. You’ve seen how this dog reacts to strangers. I’m afraid that one day it may bite a passerby."

Song Jiawei did not think there was anything wrong with that. "Then why not just keep it inside the farm?"

Director Ding shook his head again. "I tried that, but the result was nothing like I expected. We have several workers here, and none of them could even get close to this dog. On top of that, it tears things apart. During the time it lived inside the farm, it destroyed quite a few of my things. If that were all, I could still live with it. The main problem is that after it stayed there for a while, I found it was starting to pass blood and vomit. We had a vet examine it, and there was nothing physically wrong. Based on my experience raising dogs, I can be sure the reason it tore things apart, vomited, and passed blood was that being confined inside the farm left it with too little space to move, which caused excessive stress."

Song Jiawei froze, not expecting there to be another layer to this.

Then Director Ding added, "Later I put it back outside, and all those stress reactions disappeared. But that also meant it became a potential danger to people passing by."

For a moment, Song Jiawei did not know how to handle the dog. "But the problem is, this is also just its nature."

Director Ding let out a long sigh. "If it were only its nature, I wouldn’t have asked you to come. To be honest, when it was young, it had a very good temper and was quite affectionate. Even when strangers came by, it rarely barked. But after tourism started being developed over there, this dog became the way it is now. That’s why I asked you to come: first, to see whether it can be trained properly; and if it really can’t be trained, then to help me think of a way to ease this condition. At the very least, it must not pose a danger to passersby."

Zhang Congwen nodded, understanding what Director Ding meant, and clapped his hands. "Fatty, time for us to work."

Then he turned back to Director Ding and asked, "Can we install a few cameras here and record some footage to observe what its usual state is like?"

"Of course," Director Ding said immediately.

Zhang Congwen and Song Jiawei said no more and began installing the cameras.

Throughout the whole process, the Tibetan mastiff kept barking incessantly. To soothe it, Director Ding had no choice but to go into the kennel and start petting it.

With Director Ding, the mastiff changed completely from its earlier ferocity. It lay obediently on the ground, allowing him to stroke it, showing no difference at all from an ordinary docile dog apart from its size.

The cameras around the area were installed, leaving only the one by the edge of the kennel.

Seeing how gentle the mastiff was at that moment, Song Jiawei grew bolder and volunteered to go install it himself.

But just as he approached, the mastiff, which had seemed so tame a moment before, suddenly exploded into action and lunged straight at him.

Though there was still the barrier of the kennel, Song Jiawei was startled by the sight and staggered back again and again.

The dog braced its forepaws against the bars and stood on its hind legs, its height nearly matching Song Jiawei’s. With its gaping maw, it looked as though it could swallow his entire face without effort.

The impact of that scene terrified Song Jiawei beyond measure.

"Let me do it," Director Ding said. "Besides me, this dog won’t let anyone else near its kennel."

With that, he took the camera from Song Jiawei’s hands and installed it himself.

After the cameras were in place, Zhang Congwen suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Director Ding, do you have any puppies a few months old here?"

Director Ding paused, then said, "I run a dog farm, of course I do. But do you have any requirements regarding breed or anything else?"

"I want to train a working dog," Zhang Congwen said.