Take a stab at this Cane Corso’s name. She’s a large, muscular dog with a smooth black coat and a white marking resembling the digit ‘7’ on the chest.
No? Well, this Italian beauty answers to the name of Mrinalini! “Her full name is Mrinalini Dutt,” explains “elder brother” Yuvraj Dutt. Mrinalini is a Cane Corso, also known as Italian Mastiff.
“I wanted to name her Choco, after my favourite breakfast cereal but our family friends felt it didn’t do justice to her imposing personality. So they named her Mrinalini. Now she responds to Choco, Mrinalini and Minu,” smiles the 11-year-old.
The Dutts have had several dogs before but went for a Cane Corso this time as it’s a rare and beautiful breed. “We got her from Chandigarh and she took a while to warm up to me,” says Yuvraj. “ I remember giving her the pillow I would use when I was a baby. She took it graciously and tore it in a month.”
But with time the two have become thick as thieves. “Once both of them were missing. I searched the whole house calling out their names and finally found them hiding together under the bed,” says Yuvraj’s mother Anindita, showing the amusing pictures it made.
Choco came during the lockdown and Yuvraj and his classmates had lots of fun with her online. “Once our online class was starting and I was still settling in when I clicked to join the class. Just then Choco went and took my seat before the screen. So my friends saw a dog attending class!” Yuvraj laughs. “It lightened our mood and our teacher and another student also ended up bringing their dogs onscreen for a show-and-tell.”
Choco is one energetic dog and during this interview, shredded a brand new ball to bits in less than 10 minutes. When she was scolded and forbidden from tearing the second ball, she started sulking and turned away from everyone.
“She understands when she’s been naughty and apologises too,” says Yuvraj, drawing her into an embrace. “Once the door was open and she ran out of the house. I chased after so fast that I fell once on the stairs and twice on the road, trying to stop her from attacking a street dog. I was bleeding and crying but luckily our caretaker reached and reined her in.”
But back home, when his father was tending to the boy’s injuries, Choco realised he had got hurt because of her mischief. “She sat looking straight into my eyes as if saying sorry. The next few days she followed me around everywhere. Even if I went to the bathroom she’d scratch the door outside asking to be let in,” says the La Martinere student.
