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Furry Tails: Police Academy Dropout

If you're a fan of the beloved musical "Grease," then you probably know all the lyrics to "Beauty School Dropout."

Well, the story of this pet takes us to the homeland of Frenchy's best friend, Sandy. The land down under that is… Australia.

And it involves another dropout of sorts. We'll call this adorable, furry guy a "police academy dropout." But don't get too down about this pup's future! That's because all's well that ends well, in a pretty cushy job no less.

Maybe you've seen Gavel's story already, floating around on social media. As a puppy with a great pedigree, the German shepherd was well on his way to becoming a police dog, tracking hardened criminals with the Queensland Police Service.

The problem? This man's best friend turned out to be too friendly. You can't have a police dog that would rather lick the bad guy than take him down during a chase!

According to the BBC, Gavel liked meeting new people, and police said he didn't have "the necessary aptitude for life on the front line." So they kicked him out of the 16-month police K-9 program.

But what's a dropout to do? No, Gavel didn't fall on tough times. Thankfully, the pup was already being fostered at the official home of the governor of Queensland. The family took him in at just 6-weeks-old.

After getting the boot from the police academy, the Aussie politician told Gavel he wasn't going anywhere, gave him a forever home, and, in addition, a permanent job.

Instead of police K-9 Gavel, he's now got a pretty noble sounding title and some pretty nice custom-made uniforms to go with it. He's now known as Gavel VRD, "Vice-Regal Dog." According to Time Magazine, Gavel's promotion became official in February.

The BBC reports that Gavel now spends his days welcoming guests and tour groups to the Queensland Government House and taking part in special ceremonies.

"It's been a wonderful addition to Government House over the last 10 months, and we hope Gavel's with us for a long, long time into the future," Queensland Gov. Paul de Jersey told 7 News Queensland back in February.

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Looks like Gavel's ruff days are behind him, and he's in for a pretty good life as governor's best friend.

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Stay tuned animal lovers for more Furry Tails! You can follow me on Twitter at @HeatherLang24

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