Startled mourners looked on as Max tried to climb onto the coffin, pawing at it frantically. Officers stepped forward, attempting to restrain him.

“Take him away,” whispered a woman nearby.

But one man didn’t move — the unit commander. He narrowed his eyes, watching Max. He had seen this dog in action. Max didn’t act out without reason.

“Open the coffin,” the commander said firmly.

“What? Why?” someone gasped.

“I said, open it.”

Reluctantly, funeral workers moved to obey. As the lid creaked open, an eerie silence fell over the cemetery. Then — a scream.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

The person inside the casket was not the officer.

The face was unfamiliar. The uniform didn’t match. It was a completely different man.

Max’s growl softened. His nose twitched, and he backed away slightly. It wasn’t his handler. He had known all along.

Later investigations revealed a tragic mix-up at the morgue. Two bodies — the officer’s and that of a civilian — had arrived at the same time. In the confusion, their identification tags had been swapped.

The officer’s real body was discovered the next day in another hall and was finally laid to rest with the honor he deserved.