Pawsome Pets: This dog keeps his human companion on his toes

Says Senthil, “My friend’s uncle was raising dogs of this breed and a female had given birth. When I went to meet my friend and saw the small, cute puppies, I couldn’t resist and got one home.” At that point, the family already had a Labrador Retriever named Neo but they had no reservations about bringing Argo into their lives.

 “I actually wanted a companion for Neo because he would get lonely when I would travel. Luckily, the two got along well because Argo was small — Neo wasn’t fond of dogs bigger than him,” he recalls.

The two canines were drastically different with quirky personalities. He says, “After neutering Neo, he became very calm. He would be asleep most of the time but Argo was a bundle of energy as a puppy. He wouldn’t sit still even for a minute and would stick his head into Neo’s mouth to try to get him to play!” Argo is still social and loves to play with other dogs. 

“In fact, he’s kind of a bully despite his size,” smiles Senthil. He’s also very protective of his master and follows him like a shadow. A few years ago, however, Neo passed away all of a sudden. When asked how Argo coped with his big brother’s loss, Senthil explains, “He kept searching for him for a few days, sniffing his bed and checking his room. But since he had people to play with, he got distracted and was able to manage.” The Miniature Schnauzer’s favourite games are opening mom’s cupboard, taking her silk sarees out and running around the house with them. “I get yelled at for his antics, not him,” scoffs Senthil. 

“And if we ask him not to do something, he does exactly that. He likes people chasing him because he thinks we’re playing. Even if he runs out onto the road, he’ll make me chase him. He’ll wait till I catch up and then run away again,” he shares. Well, good luck catching up with him!