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Read the following text and answer the quiz below.
[1] An “awesome” puppy born with only three legs has grown up to be a police dog in a specialist crime-fighting unit in China. Barton, a Belgian Malinois, has formed a deep emotional bond with his trainer. His trainer also has problems with one of his legs and uses a wheelchair.
[2] Barton was born in June 2019 at the dog kennel of the Special Force Unit under the Xichuan County Public Security Bureau in Nanyang, Henan province, in northern China. He is a descendant of an outstanding police dog, but he was born with a defect in his left foreleg. This limited his mobility, and veterinarians recommended that he be put down. Barton was then given to a local family. However, because of the breed’s strong instincts and attitude, he became mischievous and aggressive and was soon returned.
[3] Back at the police unit, he often watched the other dogs train and appeared eager to join them. Li Xiaodong is a 46-year-old trainer who has served as a police dog handler in the unit for 24 years. He decided to give Barton a chance and began training him.
[4] Li noticed that despite often losing his balance and getting injured, Barton showed outstanding qualities. For example, he had impressive bite strength and high stress tolerance. When confronting training suspects, the dog was fearless and bold. When tasked with searching for dangerous objects, he used his sharp instincts to find targets immediately.
[5] Barton passed the police dog certification exam and officially became a riot control canine. To reduce the pressure on Barton, Li specially crafted a harness and often carried him on his back during missions. Even while being carried, the crime-fighting canine maintained the alertness expected of a police dog.
[6] In 2016, Li injured his right leg during a training session and underwent two surgeries, after which he could only move around using a wheelchair or crutches. As a Special Weapons and Tactics officer, losing his physical strength left Li feeling useless until he met Barton.
[7] Li began training with Barton by his side, gradually increasing the intensity of his workouts to rebuild strength in his injured leg. Together, both Li and Barton became stronger. “No one believed Barton could pass the exam, but he did. Barton is not just an ordinary disabled dog; he is a comrade who earned [his] badge through sheer ability,” Li said.
Source: South China Morning Post, November 18
