PALACE MUSEUM'S TOUGHEST GUARDS HAVE UNCANNY SPEED, VICIOUS BITE

Canines and their human handlers help keep the nation's patrimony safe

While the Year of the Dog is approaching, on a recent Monday at Beijing's Palace Museum, it appeared it was already here.

A chorus of 23 barking dogs that erupted as a stranger stepped into the museum's kennel did not sound like a Lunar New Year celebration or a warm welcome, however. These dogs help guard a huge hoard of national treasures every night.