Police in eastern China’s Anhui province have detained a man who named his pet dogs after two categories of city officials.

According to media reports, the man, surnamed Ban, was served 10 days’ detention on Monday over naming his canine companions Chengguan and Xieguan — meaning “city management official” and “traffic warden,” respectively. Ban was accused of disturbing the peace after he posted several playful messages on social app WeChat, one of which read: “Chengguan went to steal shoes; when Xieguan showed up, they began fighting.”

While the fluffy Chengguan might not have minded the tongue-in-cheek role-playing, it may have struck a nerve with real-life chengguan. Such officials maintain law and order in the city streets and often have fraught relationships with the public, sometimes resulting in violent, even deadly clashes. (Image: Yingzhou Evening News)