Fuzai the Corgi Wins Hearts, Minds … and Sausages

The first, and perhaps only, corgi to become a canine cop is based in Weifang, Shandong province in eastern China. The 1 ½ year old short-legged dog named Fuzai will do anything for food treats, for good or ill.

Fuzai got his start at just two months old, when he was spotted in a park by a police-dog trainer who recruited him to the Weifang Public Security Bureau, where he began training as a “reserve explosives-detection operative” in January 2024.

As with all corgis, Fuzai has too-short legs and can’t seem to stop smiling, so naturally he has blossomed into a social-media star, most prominently on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. His love of treats makes him highly trainable.

His official duties began last fall: searching luggage, inspecting vehicles (in which short legs are a distinct advantage as Fuzai scoots underneath cars and trucks), and attending public open-house events, where he interacts with visitors and shows off his skills.

He also has a cheeky personality – he’ll pee in his water bowl or take a quick nap while on the job – which has only endeared him more to his fans. The cops withheld Fuzai’s year-end bonus of snacks and toys for these transgressions, but the dog probably didn’t notice the omission because he still scored a special New Year meal of herring, pumpkin soup, dumplings, and rabbit meatballs.

Fuzai – which means “Lucky Youth” – had his most viral moment in April when, while on patrol, he casually snatched a sausage from a little girl, the theft caught on video. 

“Fuzai broke the rule of never taking anything from the public,” his trainer told the South China Morning Post, adding that treats would be withheld as punishment. But Fuzai is smart; he knows these punishments never last.

Photo credit: Fuzaixundaoyuan via Douyin