Have you seen Marley & Me?” asks Rijula Roy, referring to the notorious Labrador featured in the 2008 film. “Well, Snoopy is 10 times naughtier than that.”

Snoopy is Rijula’s six-year-old Labrador and they also have Spotty for company. Spotty is barely six months old and was adopted from Karunamoyee when he was even younger. 

Snoopy may have broken and torn many an item in their house, but Rijula is proud of his intelligence. “We’ve created a special glossary for him and he knows many words,” says the girl who’s just taken her school-leaving exams.  

So say “aram aram” and Snoopy knows the AC is about to be switched on. Say “Snoopy, you’re looking handu,” and the handsome hunk will smile into the camera wearing Rijula’s shades and necklace. “Snoopy observed that my dad’s yoga teacher starts lessons saying: ‘one, two’ and now he knows that ‘one, two’ means exercise! Now where will you get a smart dog like that!” smiles the teen. 

Not just smart, Snoopy is compassionate too. Rijula and her parents — Rajib and Indrani — are always bringing home injured dogs to nurse back to health and Snoopy has imbibed the quality. “He loves all people and animals,” says Rijula. “Far from being jealous of street dogs, he barks to invite them when we serve them food.”

This is why the family could so confidently adopt Spotty. “We had noticed a litter at Karunamoyee a few months ago and saw that the mother had abandoned this one puppy. We felt sorry for him and brought him home,” recalls Rijula. And Snoopy made it his personal mission to make Spotty feel at home. 

The big brother is now training the little one, biting him gently whenever he misbehaves. “In fact, Snoopy is a brother to me too. Every year I celebrate Bhai Phonta and Rakhi with him,” says Rijula, adding that the placing of the rakhi is often tricky. “Now-a-days Snoopy’s calmed down so I can afford to tie it on his wrist. Previously he would yank it off so often that I’d have to tie the rakhi on his tail!”

• If you have a pet you have brought up at home as a family member and which has its eyes only for you, do write to us with your contact number at The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001 or call 22600115 after 4pm or email to saltlake@abpmail.com