 Ex-police dog keeps barking at tree, dad finds a lot more than wood inside. Suddenly his ears perked up and his nose dropped. Smith had never seen him act like this before. He knew he was onto something big. His paws dug firmly into the ground. He wouldn't move. He knew he had to investigate the tree but he also knew this wasn't going to be pretty. His heart raced as he broke the tree apart. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was love at first sight when the Smiths saw retired police dog, Kyle. He had just finished 8 years of service and was ready to spend the rest of his days in a new and loving home. Smith loved taking Kyle out for walks. They often ventured through woodlands where Kyle would chase squirrels to his heart's content. But that's not all he was interested in. It started off like any other walk until Smith noticed something was wrong with Kyle. He was tense, sniffing frantically, he knew something wasn't right. The Smiths were Kyle's third adoptive family. He had been given up by his first and second adoptive parents, because he belonged to the police force, so they had always been temporary situations. Kyle was a talented sniffer dog who helped solve many missing person cases but he had difficulty in expressing aggression as he was a naturally friendly and gentle soul. However, once he started to work with Officer John, his new partner, Kyle's trained aggression improved greatly as he wanted to protect his new partner, and often, he would do so with his own life. Usually police dogs worked with multiple partners but Kyle didn't follow anyone else's command like he did John's. They had a special bond, so they were assigned to each other permanently. John even adopted him. But when Kyle retired, John wished he could keep him but he worked too often. He couldn't give him the attention he needed in his retirement. And that's where the Smiths came in. Kyle got along great with the Smiths. He encouraged them to exercise and gave them a great peace of mind as their protector. His retirement was passing by peacefully until that one fateful day. The Smith's house was situated in the countryside around Acres of Woodland close by. It was every dog's dream. But for Kyle, it became a crime scene. At first, everything was normal. Smith had brought Kyle on this route before, but when they started to veer off their usual trail to explore, that's when Smith noticed a sudden change in Kyle. This was the longest time Kyle had been out of the city. It was also the longest time he went without working or seeing his partner who he also lived with for years. For a while now, Kyle had begun to act a little out of character. He was sullen and uninterested in food. He was slower. But on this walk, he suddenly perked his ears up and Smith saw Kyle for the first time as the police dog he used to be. His training kicked in as he sniffed frantically, following a trail that led him to a tree. Smith called him back but he wouldn't come. Instead he lay down, Smith called him again but it was no use. Kyle looked frozen. Smith wasn't sure what to do so he called John, Kyle's ex-partner. John explained that Kyle was trained to do this if he picked up a scent that was out of the ordinary or presented danger. He told Smith to investigate the tree, but to make careful as it could be dangerous. Is it drugs? Smith thought. No, what he'd find was so much worse. As Smith approached the tree, he saw that the bark was loose. Kyle began to bark, feeling encouraged, he braced himself and peeled it back. He jumped back and called John immediately with shaking hands. It wasn't drugs. Smith tells John what he saw. Alarmed, John and his team of investigators arrive at the scene shortly afterwards. Kyle awaits his follow-up command. But as soon as he sees the familiar sight of the cruisers, Kyle can't contain his excitement. He runs toward John to a reunion that would drive you to tears. But with a serious matter to attend to, John soon made his way to the tree. He pulls back the tree bark. His heart races as Kyle urges him on with his barking. His eyes pop as he confirms the heinous sight Smith had described to him. What is it? Kyle had led them to a human skeleton that had been stashed within the tree. However, it was so well packed within the tree that they had to carefully chop down the tree to assess what they were dealing with. As they continued their work, Smith was amazed at how lively Kyle became. It was like he was back to his normal self. Smith noted how much Kyle loved John. But while he was watching Kyle, new information unfolded. The skeleton was a life-sized human skeleton, but it was also a fake. Someone must have planted it as a Halloween scare or prank within the tree bark and forgot about it. They laugh in relief but what they couldn't understand is why Kyle would alert them to a situation like this. He would have been trained to learn the difference between non-threatening and threatening smells. Then it clicked. Smith was the first to put two and two together. He realized Kyle just wanted to see John. His recent behaviors showed signs of loneliness. He was missing his best friend and partner, John. He knew John would come running at his police behavior. Perhaps that's why he did this. It was orchestrated. Kyle had been looking at John since he arrived. Now, John looked back at him for a while and laughed wholeheartedly. He looked at Kyle wagging his tail with a goofy grin, jumping up and down at the arrival of his best friend. John felt a sudden pain of guilt and heartache but knew he had made the right decision with Smith by his side, petting him and laughing along with the ruckus he caused. What a smart old pupper.