13声枪响向警犬致敬 13-gun salute for Chinese military dog

A funeral(葬礼) was held for this very special dog named Radar in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality. Radar served(服役) with the Armed Police force since 2004, and participated(参加) in more than 300 missions(任务) over his 13 years of service. 

The dog started(开始) its military service in 2004 with the Chongqing Corps under the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

The normal service term(期限) for dogs is seven years, but Radar devoted(奉献) nearly double(两倍) that amount of time to the force. As a result, almost everyone in the barracks knew Radar.

Studies(研究) show(表明) that 13 dog years are equal to 70 or 80 human years. As an explosives detection dog, Radar participated in more than 300 missions over 13 years of service, including security duties, earthquake relief in Wenchuan and blast detection. 

It was the dog's outstanding performance in these missions that won it extended service.

With the help of a trainer, Zhang Binbin, Radar quickly learned new skills, and in 2014 won second place in a skill competition for military dogs. 

In addition, Radar was an internet celebrity of sorts. A picture of the dog washing Zhang's hair with a hose that it held in its teeth went viral last June. It helped to highlight the close relationships between dogs and their trainers.

However, all lives must come to an end. Radar’s health became(变) worse(更坏的) and worse after March of this year. 

Signs(征兆) of organ(器官) failure(衰竭) were detected(检测), and the dog's metabolism nearly stopped. Radar couldn't even stand up in the last moments of its life. However, the dog could still raise(抬) its head(头) and make sounds of joy when Zhang approached.

Around dawn on April 29, Radar passed away. With the approval of superiors, soldiers held a funeral and offered a fitting farewell to Radar with a 13-gun salute. According to Zhang, the special funeral was a sign of respect(尊敬) and a testament to Radar's exceptional life. 

He will be greatly missed(想念).

词汇 Words:

[rèn wù] 任务 mission
[qī xiàn] 期限 term
[fú yì] 服役 serve
[yán jiū] 研究 study
[zhēng zhào] 征兆 sign
[qì guān] 器官 organ
[shuāi jié] 衰竭 failure
[cān jiā] 参加 participate
[kāi shǐ] 开始 start
[fèng xiàn] 奉献 devote
[biǎo míng] 表明 show
[biàn] 变 become
[jiǎn cè] 检测 detect
[tái] 抬 raise
[zūn jìng] 尊敬 respect
[xiǎng niàn] 想念 miss

重点词汇 Key Word:

敬

• <动词 v.> respect; honor
  E.g. Fū qī yīng gāi hù jìng hù ài。
  夫妻应该互敬互爱。
  Husband and wife should respect and love each other.

• <形容词 adj.> respectful
  E.g. Jìng qǐng zhǐ jiāo!
  敬请指教!
  I humbly request your advice.

• <动词 v.> offer politely
  E.g. Jìng xīn niáng yī bēi。
  敬新娘一杯。
  Here's to the bride.

• <动词 v.> be devoted/dedicated to
  E.g. Rén men gōng rèn tā hěn jìng yè。
  人们公认他很敬业。
  He is widely regarded as committed.