BRISBANE, Australia – A police dog who was apparently not cut out for fighting crime has a “regal” new job.
Gavel is a German Shepherd who flunked out of a police dog academy because he “did not display the necessary aptitude for a life on the front line” and loved meeting strangers, according to the BBC.
But despite his failure as a police dog, Gavel made a good friend — the governor of Queensland.
Gov. Paul de Jersey in February awarded Gavel the title of Vice-Regal Dog.
“He may have missed out on becoming a Queensland Police Service Dog, but it is abundantly clear that Gavel has the characteristics necessary to adequately fulfill duties as Queensland’s official Vice-Regal Dog,” de Jersey wrote on Facebook last week.
Gavel’s duties as Vice-Regal Dog consist of welcoming visitors and tour groups to the grounds of Queensland’s Government House.
While not every pup in the K-9 academy is cut out for the job, others that wind up in shelters end up being great police dogs, like Apollo the pit bull:
