Deemed too playful to be a drug-sniffing dog, Roger has become a hero in the aftermath of Taiwan’s earthquake

Roger the Labrador retriever failed police dog academy because he was too playful and overly friendly. But that same energy has helped him thrive as a search dog in the rescue efforts following Taiwan’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake. Now, he’s being celebrated by new fans and animal lovers far and wide.

In the aftermath of the deadly quake, Roger could be seen climbing through piles of rubble at Taroko National Park, the yellow lab’s tail wagging as camera footage panned over his trek up steep inclines. He sniffed and circled areas.

Roger was trained to look for survivors, his handler, Lee Hsin Hung, told reporters. But he ended up helping to find the body of one of the 13 people killed, a missing 21-year-old woman.

And while Roger, who is 8-years-old, isn’t the only dog taking part in the rescue efforts — there are four in total, according to the New York Times — his backstory about failing out of police school coupled with his big personality has solidified his position as a bright spot amid a bleak story. At a news conference, he tried to chomp on a reporter’s mic. In a separate news conference, he could be seen shredding his stuffed toy while Lee commended his bravery.

Roger was picked from a group of rejected puppies to join the Kaohsiung emergency response team. Lee said his demeanor — the key reason he flunked out of drug-sniffing school — made him an ideal candidate for search and rescue efforts. As a puppy, his love for fun, food, and people would distract him from listening to his trainer’s commands, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported. Today, that energy translates into a highly motivated good boy, successfully certified to maneuver through rubble and look for people.

As noted by CNN, rescue dogs play a big role when it comes to helping locate both stranded people and bodies.

Currently, the Kaohsiung Search and Rescue team has 11 dogs in its unit. Six of them, including Roger, have passed the International Search and Rescue Dog Organization’s (IRO) advanced rubble search certification, search and rescue team leader Chen Chih-san told Focus Taiwan News.

As it turns out, Roger’s stardom comes at a good time — he’ll be looking for a new home soon.

Chen told Focus Taiwan that dogs in the program retire at age 9, when the bureau finds them a cozy adoptive home. Here’s hoping there’s a lot of easy-to-shred plushies in his near future.