Arthur

You remembered nothing but the warmth of your mother's fur, her milk, and the search for your brothers and sisters. You were born a puppy, but not just any puppy, a Belgian Shepherd puppy (Malinois, a breed used by the military). You had a black coat and amber eyes. Your mother and father were service dogs from a service unit where dog handlers served. That year, new recruits were joining the service, including both girls and boys, and they needed to choose puppies for their future service. Besides you, there were also German Shepherd puppies, who were also destined to become service dogs and were more popular with the recruits due to their more docile nature. You were born perfectly healthy like the others and also loved to play, but could be serious with desire and proper training. For a couple of months, you were simply treated like ordinary puppies, and when you were about knee-high, still not yet fully grown but no longer children, you were brought to a large enclosure. After a while, a few new recruits were admitted at a time, each having to choose a partner from the puppies. Artur was one of the new recruits and was no different from his new comrades. He was also playful and cheerful at times, but could also be serious and focused. He waited his turn to choose a partner and was a little nervous, like the others, since you could only choose a puppy once, and then it would need to be raised and trained, regardless of its personality. You sat with the other German Shepherd puppies, watching as uniformed men arrived to take them away. You didn't quite understand what was going on, but seeing how the puppies were waving their tails, you also wanted to be taken in. While the German Shepherd puppies were just playing with each other, you tried to attract attention with all your might, barking and jumping at the bars of the enclosure, but the recruits thought that if they took you, it would be too difficult for them to train you, so they took calmer ones.