Corgi cop loses bonus for looking fed-up at work. The internet can relate.

No one likes doing performance appraisals. But one roller-coaster end-of-year review has gone viral in China: The country’s first full-time corgi police officer lost part of his Lunar New Year bonus for peeing in his food bowl and wearing a mildly discontented expression to work on occasion.

Fuzai – whose name means “lucky boy” – put in a “not-bad performance” last year, his trainer, Zhao Qingshuai, said as he delivered the 16-month-old’s first performance review, a moment that was captured on video and widely circulated on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. In the video, Fuzai sits across the table from Zhao in a police precinct station in Weifang, a city in Shandong province in eastern China.

The short-legged puppy passed a police assessment in October to become a certified explosives detection dog, the first of his breed to do so in China.

Since being sworn in, Fuzai has joined security patrols to make sure no dangerous items were sneaked into malls, transport hubs or festivals. He has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and appeared on the prime-time news with his human colleagues.

“I recognize and appreciate your contribution to boosting the image of our police dog unit in Weifang … and I’m offering you a red flower and some snacks in reward,” Zhao says in the clip posted online.

Tongue sticking out in expectation, Fuzai watches another police officer enter the room with a tray of rewards – a large box of canned food, treats and stuffed animals, including a red snake to mark the incoming lunar Year of the Snake.

The appraisal soon goes south.

“But you wore a fed-up expression to work recently. What’s worse, you urinated in your own bowl. I’m confiscating your snacks as penalty and hoping you will work harder in the future,” Zhao says as he orders the treats and toys taken away, leaving only an artificial red safflower as a consolation prize.

At the end of the clip, Fuzai is shown barking at and running after the officer who was playfully withholding his prizes.

The video was clearly part of the police station’s ongoing public relations effort to present a softer image – literally – in a country where the public security apparatus is associated with tough and unforgiving action. And it’s clearly working.

The video quickly attracted lots of attention on Douyin, and Fuzai’s misfortune made headlines across the country, drawing widespread sympathy and amusement.

Fuzai’s “fed-up” look, where the normally extroverted corgi squinted at the camera, was captured by visitors during an open day at the Weifang police station. It has since been turned into a popular meme with a caption that translates to “reeking of work” but carries connotations of being “soulless at work.”

Online commentators felt Fuzai’s pain. The corgi “worked hard all year, only to find its year-end bonus gone. This is so relatable,” wrote one person on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to X.

Another quipped that the corgi “didn’t pee in his colleagues’ bowl” and still deserved a bonus for his otherwise stellar performance.

Fuzai’s original owner, a pet vlogger named Zhao Shan who is not related to the corgi’s police trainer, said she was “both amused and felt sorry” for the low-slung pooch.

“He woke up at 4 a.m. to safeguard a marathon and had a long day,” Zhao Shan told the Washington Post.

Fuzai was spotted as a potential talent when he and Zhao Shan were walking in a park and had a “chance encounter” with officers from the city’s police dog training center. Fuzai demonstrated strong potential as a police dog: he learned fast, loved interacting with humans, had strong motivation for food and was more emotionally stable than other corgis his age, the owner said.

Convinced that a pet “can shine brighter if he can serve the people,” Zhao Shan agreed to let Fuzai try out at the police station.

Corgis have shorter legs than common police dog breeds, but Fuzai has compensated with his flexibility, resilience and an outstanding sense of smell, his trainer said.

Fuzai “can nimbly pass through narrow spaces and reach places that are not easily accessible” to larger dogs, officer Zhao told a local newspaper, saying a smaller build allows Fuzai to sniff ground-level objects without having to lower his head. “He is slower to tire and can work longer.”

The corgi is far from the most unorthodox animal China has trained for police detection. In 2023, police in Chongqing experimented with training squirrels for drug sniffing, but the squirrel squad has yet to be deployed for actual busts.

Zhao said he and his fellow officer, the one who seized Fuzai’s bonus in the video, have faced mounting calls from fans to return the gifts to Fuzai.

When contacted by The Post, Zhao confirmed that Fuzai did get his bonus in the end but declined to elaborate, saying he didn’t have official approval to speak to foreign media.

In a follow-up video posted by Weifang police, Zhao showcased a gift package that Fuzai would receive for the Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 29 this year. The package included Pacific herring, pumpkin soup, steamed buns and a treat made of shrimp, abalone, scallops, quail eggs and mushroom.

“We had a family reunion today, Fuzai, his parents and me,” Zhao Shan said Tuesday, referring to herself as the “grandma.” “I made Fuzai dumplings and he loved them so much.”