 ex-police dog keeps barking at tree, then investigators rush towards it. Born into an ex-police dog's family, Kyle had loyalty imprinted in his mind even as a pup. Here's Kyle, an adorable 10-year-old German shepherd who has retired from duty and now spending his last days in beautiful countryside with lots of great views. He is in care of a loving couple, the Smiths, who couldn't help but fall in love with him at first sight. Kyle misses his years as a police dog, what he misses more is his work partner and best buddy, who's bond with him runs deep. Kyle spent most of his years offering significant service to the police force with John's help, helping to solve countless cases and finding multiple missing people. And now that Kyle is miles away from his partner, he needs a perfect plan if he would ever get to see him again. The question is, how would he achieve his aim? Would Kyle ever get to see John again? You know what they say about destiny and how it has its way of always coming true. Kyle was born for one purpose, when he wasn't aware of the moment he first opened his eyes but later got to find out where his path in life will be. Kyle was born into a German shepherd family, he was born a happy pup with no worries. Kyle might be clueless at first as a pup, but he knew he was destined for a far greater purpose as he grew. He slowly learned about his family and his environment. Kyle came from a family of ex-police dogs, his mother was an accomplished retired police dog. Kyle was ready to undertake the family tradition. However, not all his brothers and sisters completed the police academy training, he dared himself face the challenge and make his family proud. The process of undergoing training to be a proper police dog is a difficult one that covers many responsibilities. Kyle was raised as a sweet pup that is relatively too innocent for attack strategies, explosive searching. Kyle turned out to be a smart and obedient dog, he picked up a lot of what was being taught to him very quickly. He was instilled with the same drive and intelligence that makes them better than every other average dog. Kyle seemed to be having trouble being aggressive, if one day he ended up not being a police dog, he would find himself in a lovely family. He wasn't capable of executing tasks that required taking down an opponent or offering fierce protection to the police agents he was with. What could be done? He had a kind soul and was too sweet to think of hurting anyone, making him too soft for his job description. However, he was excellent in other areas. He has a great sense of smell, sharp sight and could run within recorded time. He's fast. What more could be asked of him? Kyle's excellence was recognized and it earned him a post as a fully certified police dog. Although he still lacked a little in his aggression faculty, it could be worked on with time. Kyle has other puppies in his family that was all enrolled in the police dog academy. However, of all his six siblings, only Kyle and his sister were strong enough to overcome the rigorous training and suit to be a police dog. Kyle became the pride of his family, but this was only the beginning. As Kyle moved to join the police in full force, he had hidden fears. Fear of the unknown, fear of either he would be good enough or capable of protecting others. He was no longer with his family, he spent his day working and his night sulking. We sometimes meet that one person that makes everything bright, and we start to forget our fears, John is the person. The moment Kyle was paired to work with John, he immediately felt that excellent vibe with him. And what small turn into a friendship, a friendship turned into a bond. The word love is tossed around a lot when it comes to the dog-human relationship. What we don't talk a lot about is the bond between dogs and humans. Once a bond is formed, it is never broken. Usually, police dogs work with multiple other officers on rescue missions. Kyle seems uncooperative with any other officer except John. Their relationship ran too deep that it would not be wise to split them up. They are great partners, so they continue to be. Often, police dogs live with a family that is not directly related to the police force. This is done to give the dog a chance to feel loved and belong to a family like other normal dogs. Kyle was put under the care of a random family, a lovely couple was chosen for him. At first, this was strange to him. Receiving warmth, hugs, and kisses were not the way he was trained. However, he couldn't help leaning into the warmth and feeling loved. He was also able to get proper rest after his long days at work. The couple gave all their love to Kyle and took care of him to the best of their ability. When the couple discovered they are would soon be parents for the first time as their baby is on the way expecting their first child, they knew there were going to be a lot of changes in the family. Most parents are skeptical about keeping a dog around their baby. Their skepticism is, however, justified as sometimes dogs make the mistake of attaching babies out of jealously. Even for a dog as sweet as Kyle, they couldn't risk it. The couple spent emotional days loving and caring for Kyle. They've grown to love him, but they couldn't help but make the critical decision to give Kyle away. They informed the police force to find a new place for Kyle to live as soon as possible. When John heard of this news, he had mixed feelings. He was not happy about Kyle losing his family, but John was ecstatic, he could keep Kyle all for himself on a brighter note. It didn't take John a second more to sign up for Kyle's adoption and let him live in his apartment. That same evening, John took Kyle home after work. As a single man who is married to his job and lives alone, his apartment was self-contained. It was much smaller compared to Kyle's former home, John created enough space to fit Kyle and himself. They started living as roommates, doing everything together. That way, they both retire every day after work and take enough rest. Patrol dogs obtain police dog training in many aspects of daily police life, from finding suspects to protecting their officers and subduing criminals. Kyle has taken a series of training that he knows what to do in every situation. With Kyle and John being successful partners, the pair was asked to assist in many cases and often contribute to solving them. Kyle had his good and bad days, some cases were so easy for him to crack and others that were not so easy. Kyle was faced with one of his most significant challenges when he and John were tasked with a case of finding a little girl that had been missing for almost two days. Her parents were mortified, her mother was going out of her mind with fear. Everyone depended on Kyle's ability to find the missing girl. Her mother took Kyle's hand with tears in her eyes and told him, please bring my little girl home. Kyle started to unravel the case by sniffing some of the missing girl's old clothes to discover a scent. When he was sure he had sniffled well, they launched a full search for her with police force squads following Kyle's lead. He followed the trail for a couple of miles, but it seemed to disappear at some point. They had arrived in a different neighborhood, and all hope seemed lost at the end of Kyle's trails. Instinct took over, and the police started searching that area properly. The girl's parents soon recognized the houses. This was where the mother's sister lived. As soon as they approached the house, Kyle picked up the girls sent again. Finally, the little girl was found. It was discovered that the missing girl took off as her parents began their usual argument. She sought refuge at her aunt's house and cried to her cousin, who hid her in her room. The parents promised to work on their relationship before taking their daughter home. It is said that, experience is the best teacher. Kyle's experience is something he had undergone personally through years of hard work. Throughout his time with the police, he also got better in the hard parts like protecting in partner John. He had come to love him more than a partner. He was his best friend. Kyle sometimes puts his life on the line to save John. There was a mission that the pair were confronted by people with ill intentions. Even when a gun was pointed at John, Kyle pushed him out of the way, the bullets slightly missed them. Luckily, neither one of them ever got seriously hurt during the job as the bad guys were put behind bars. Nonetheless, all this hard work did start taking its toll on Kyle. Kyle had such a busy career serving his country. He saved as many people as he could and being a good protector to his partner. At age eight, Kyle was retired from service. He was honored for his diligent work and allowed to enjoy his last couple of years in peace. John knew that moment would come, but he couldn't believe it would be so soon. Eight great years were spent working with his buddy, always by his side protecting him. John could never forget the time Kyle saved him from a bullet aim or the time he boldly attached a mob of gangsters just for him. There were so many memories made together. Although it was hard to say goodbye, John knew it was the right thing to do. John made sure to spend his very last summer vacation with Kyle thoughtfully. He threw him a party and took him on a picnic. Kyle was put up for adoption, and because he's a very lovable dog, he soon got adopted by a lovely couple whose kids were almost ready to move out. Kyle's new owners, the Smiths, fell in love with him at first sight and spoiled him as much as they could. The only problem was that they didn't have the most spacious house. Hence the always energetic Kyle didn't get all the exercise he probably needed. Kyle had lived in this new family for a whole year, he thought he would never find a friend like John, which is true, but he found a family and a home with the Smiths. Luckily, their limited space problem was quickly solved when the couple's son moved out of the house, and they didn't have a need to be in and around the city center anymore. Afterward, they started a search for a new place to live. Thomas Smith and his wife Jane always took Kyle with them when they checked out a new building. They wanted to involve Kyle in their decisions, and they also trusted his instinct. The Smiths care enough for Kyle that they were curious about how he would react to the place and mostly the surrounding environment. What was most important is finding himself the best place. Eventually, the couple finalized on a lovely, spacious old house away from the city in the countryside. The decision to keep that house was more of Kyle's decision than theirs. Their new home was perfect for them and mostly for Kyle, as there was lots of room in the house to run around and exercise. The outside scenery also has dozens of places to explore together nearby. The Smiths had the best view that features mountains, green pastures, and the ocean. What's not to like about walking? It's free. It's easy to do, and it's easy on the joints. And there's no question that walking is right for you. Thomas and Jane started making long walks multiple times a day, and Kyle seemed to be enjoying every second of it. He gets to tone his leg and abdominal muscles. The family visited the woods and small villages and even made friends with other dog owners interested in a stroll. Making new friends was difficult for Kyle at first because he didn't have so many social skills. He tried his best to mingle and soon learned it was fun playing with the other dogs. He also discovered he played a little too hard for the other dogs because most dogs were small compared to him. However, Kyle was a smart dog, and he quickly learned to play less rough. He was slowly starting to understand how life was for other dogs. Kyle loves running with his owners, his joy of running is often infectious. Even when Thomas may not feel motivated to exercise, the guilt of depriving his dog of a favorite activity is usually enough to spur him on. Kyle enjoyed all the extra activities he was getting, and he also loved exploring all the different pathways and trees in the area. He had the energy of a young pup again, and Thomas could often barely keep up. Jane could hardly stand a chance, so she would mostly stay home. Kyle never missed his walk hours, it was a fun spin around the beautiful scenery for him. It was quite strange that after a couple of weeks, Kyle seemed to lose his excitement. Most of his early energy was diminishing, and he was less motivated to go on his usual walks. He now walked passively next to Thomas, who could hardly catch up with him before. The most bizarre thing is that he didn't want to explore anymore. Thomas tried to wave Kyle's unusual dullness, but he kept getting worse as he hardly touched his food now. Thomas got unbearably worried about his friend. His decision to move to the countryside was only because he believed it was the best for Kyle. The Smiths thought it would make Kyle a lot happier than that he was in the city away from the life he lived, but now it seems like that isn't the case. Perhaps, Kyle was getting sick with something. Thomas decides to take Kyle to the vet to get him checked out. He took a thorough physical exam, along with tests to follow up to find out any problems. After the results came, the vet concluded that Kyle was perfectly healthy and should still be in the best shape. When Thomas narrated Kyle's odd behaviors and the perceived energy loss, the vet seems to be puzzled as well. When Kyle and Thomas made one of their regular walks, near the forest edge, something unusual happened. Suddenly, Kyle switched to his police dog mode and became fierce. But not at Thomas, but something else bothered him. Kyle abruptly stopped walking with his ears at alert, his nose to the ground, and he started sniffing the ground furiously. He was back to his vigilante job, and it doesn't look like he wanted to be interrupted soon. Kyle made sniffing around a habit any time he went on walks. He usually stopped to sniff something. He often discovered small animals, old toys, clothes, you name it. Almost anything that was out of the ordinary could not stay hidden from Kyle for long. He was healthy and alert. Kyle was relentless and went into the deepest part of the forest to sniff things out. There's something different in the new challenge posse to Kyle, he picked up a strange scent but couldn't find where it is from as he quickly loses its trail. The sniffing only lasted shortly before it's lost. Kyle became more disturbed by the day at the undiscovered scent. He was getting a little impatient and tired of the treadmill. Thomas tried to get Kyle to follow him again and even tried to lure him with his favorite treats. He yelled commands at him, and when that didn't work, he pets his furs and whispers sweetly into his ears. However, Kyle was taught determination and discipline as nothing seemed to work. At some point, he stopped sniffing and sat down next to a mysterious looking tree. Thomas was lost and confused by Kyle's new habits and some unusual behavior he exhibited. He had tried medical aids, and nothing seemed to be the problem. He thought that maybe there was an animal in the tree that Kyle had smelled, but with almost no leaves in the branches anymore, he could quickly rule that option out. Although Thomas was puzzled, he was also curious to find out what could trouble this trained dog so much. Thomas was out of option, he didn't know what to do next. He decided to call Kyle's old partner, John. Seeing as they had worked together for so many years, maybe he had seen Kyle's behavior before and would know what to do to get Kyle moving again. He hopefully placed a call through. If anyone could unravel Kyle's behavior, it was John. As John got a call from Kyle's new owner, John's heart skipped a bit. Is it what he was thinking? Was Kyle sick? Or something worse? When Kyle's new owner narrated his journey with the dog so far and his new odd habits, John could help but be relieved. Something indeed happened to Kyle but not as bad as he thought. Luckily for Thomas, John did recognize this attitude. He explained that whenever they tried to unravel a case, and Kyle would smell something out of the ordinary that he could not retrieve, he was training to sit and wait near it. When Thomas explained further that Kyle was sitting at the foot of a tree, John became apprehensive. He was wondering what could be an ore around that could warrant Kyle's focus and attention. He instructed Thomas to check it out and warned him to be careful as it might be something more dangerous than they imagined. When Thomas got closer to the tree, he quickly noticed that something was not quite right about it. A big part, where Kyle was sitting right in front of, was somewhat broken and caved in. It looked like it could be pushed in. Thomas looked around if he could get help, but it was he kidding. They were in the deep of the woods with no chance of anyone passing by. He summoned up courage and pushed in the broken part of the tree, he didn't miss how Kyle started growling a little and took a defensive stand. When Thomas pushed further, he noticed that there was a lot of room inside the tree. When he discovered what was buried in the tree, he squealed and jumped back and almost tripped over Kyle. There's a skeleton hidden in the tree. He didn't get a full picture of it but was sure of what he had seen. A skeleton couldn't be mistaken, can it? Afraid that he would mess with a crime scene or something, he made sure not to touch the tree again. Without hesitating further, he shakily dialed back John's number. He couldn't believe his voice as it trembled on the phone. Thomas frantically reported what he discovered in the woods and called for immediate help. John got into action and took two forensics experts as they rushed to the scene. The trip down to Kyle's new house took longer than he realized. For two hours, they were still driving. John is surprised by how long they have to drive. He had not yet been to visit Kyle since he moved away with his new family. John had been so caught up in his work that he had almost forgotten his old partner. And somehow, that thought made him feel a pang of guilt. When John and the forensic team arrived at the scene and got close to the tree, Kyle leaned towards John, the dog jumped up and down, licking his hands and face. They had not seen each other ever since Kyle's new owners moved out of the city, and thus, Kyle seemed ecstatic to see his ex-partner again finally. Thomas could have sworn he had never seen Kyle so excited, he knew their friendship ran deep, and somehow he longed for such a close relationship with Kyle. The beautiful moment couldn't be dragged long as there was a case to solve. Kyle also understands that and cut his moment short. Even John couldn't enjoy the moment because the discovered skeleton was all he could think about. He rushed over to the tree and carefully removed the tree's broken bark to reveal the live-sized skeleton hidden inside. What a discovery! He could hardly suppress his excitement to unravel the puzzle. John was overwhelmed by this discovery and was ready to get on the phone to his chief officer to report the news. However, the forensic expert stopped him before he went further with the call. All they needed was a few seconds to determine the origin of the skeleton. Typically, a forensic examination would generally take at least a week to determine whose bone or skeleton had belonged conclusively was found. However, if the bones were made out of plastic, then this type of investigation would not be necessary. It was almost laughable that a Halloween decoration gave them such a scare.