The old “Shoot the Dog” trope has been a part of cinema for some time. It refers to an act of moral ambiguity performed by the protagonist because it is the most pragmatic course of action. It often causes the audience to question the character’s motive and reasoning, and can shake their moral foundation.

In the context of more serious spy moves as a whole, it could be demonstrated as “would you kill one innocent to save the lives of a hundred?”

The task at hand is often difficult, and the idea is that a person in a position of responsibility needs to be able to handle the deed, however unpleasant.

In the context of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), as their final training test, the agency asked Kingsman trainees to shoot a dog they had cared for and raised.

Back on their second day of training, Merlin (Mark Strong) tells the recruits “We’re here to enhance your skills, test you to the limit. Which is why you’re going to pick a puppy.” It becomes clear during the final test this was their intent all along.

The trainees didn’t know their guns were actually loaded with blanks. That wasn’t the point - the test is designed to see if they would follow through with it. Why? In the eyes of the Kingsmen, shooting the dog shows an agent is capable of sacrificing an innocent because it was their command. It also shows they’d be capable of taking down a family member or a friend if duty required it, or if such individuals became entrenched in wrongdoing. It’s about being able to do something despite one’s feelings about the nature of the request. Eggsy (Taron Egerton) can’t pull the trigger, and he’s excused from Kingsman training.

This tactic can be contested in the context of the film. At one point Harry Hart / Galahad (Colin Firth) says, “Kingsman only condones the risking of a life to save another.” By that logic, the trainees should be supposed to assume that shooting the dog may save someone else’s life. That seems like a stretch. But still, the old assassin trope is utilized, as the more important element of the test is that a lower-level operative should never question the command of a superior. Information is not always provided. “Shoot the dog” tropes are a measure of an operative’s conviction, not their rationalization. The operative should be loyal to their organization above all, and trust their request isn’t without reason. That is what the Kingsman superiors are examining.