Who’s a good girl who serves and protects? April is the start of the business and administrative years in Japan, and so many organizations are welcoming a fresh batch of recruits this month. For examp

Who’s a good girl who serves and protects?

April is the start of the business and administrative years in Japan, and so many organizations are welcoming a fresh batch of recruits this month. For example, on April 6 the town of Ibi in Gunma Prefecture had a ceremony recognizing the start of duty for new members of its police force, including one named Tsubu.

Tsubu is only two years old, but it isn’t her age that makes her unique among the recruits. No, what sets Tsubu apart is that she’s** the Gifu Prefectural Police’s first-ever Shiba Inu police dog**.

With their silly, self-satisfied, sometimes even dopey-looking facial expressions, plus well-documented bouts of photogenic stubbornness when they don’t want to go back home from a walk, Shibas have become one of the most memed breeds of dog in the social media era. However, long before any Shiba rose to Internet stardom, Shibas started out as hunting dogs, bred and trained to venture into brush and flush out game for their human partners. The shiba part of their name even translates literally as “brushwood.”

So while Tsubu may not be able to match the size of strength of the German Shepherds or Dobermans more commonly associated with police work, her linage does make her suited for carrying out searches for missing people or evidence. Her comparatively smaller frame could actually be an advantage, as she’s able to fit into narrower spaces than larger breeds while still being large enough to traverse various types of terrain, and since she’s not being used as an attack or patrol dog, the reduced intimidation factor isn’t really an issue.

In order to become a police dog, Tsubu had to complete a test in which her sense of smell, concentration level, and ability to coordinate with her human handler were measured by having her search a field for simulated evidence, which she passed in November, clearing her way for instatement as a contracted police dog.

▼ Video showing Tsubu taking her test

“I have heard that the Shiba Inu is an agile and exceptional breed, so I am expecting great things [from Tsubu]” said Ibi Precinct chief Takanori Morikami following the ceremony, and with Tsubu’s age of 2 years old making her effectively 24 in dog years, hopefully she’ll have a long career serving the people of Gifu.