Meet Gavel, the brave German Shepherd who was recruited as a young puppy to become a police dog. He was certainly eager to please, but when officers noticed this about little Gavel, they fired him from the program.

You see, Gavel was just not up to the task. As the police explained to the Telegraph, Gavel "did not display the necessary aptitude for a life on the front line."

The trouble with Gavel was that he was too friendly! He absolutely adored strangers and prefered to play with them, rather than arrest them.

After months of training, little Gavel's dreams of being someone's partner in crime fighting came to an end.

But that's not the end of his story. Gavel's temperament may not have been suited to fighting the thug life - but it was most definitely suited to the hug life.

The friendly pup was offered a special job working for the Governor of Queensland. His new job title: Vice-Regal Dog.

Now a full-grown and very handsome boy, Gavel greets visitors to Queensland's Government House and attends official functions with Governor Paul de Jersey.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Governor told The Sydney Morning Herald that this very good boy has become a "valued and much-loved" part of Government House."

Sometimes Gavel will sit in on briefings with the Governor and he "has also demonstrated his capacity to uphold the ceremonial importance of his role at State of Origin time."

[h/t Daily Mail / Telegraph]