The most moving scene in Homer is not the death of the great heroes, Patroclus or Hector, but the tail-wagging of a pet dog, Argos.After 20 years away – 10 fighting the Trojans and 10 wandering the seas – Odysseus returns to his hometown of Ithaca disguised as a beggar. As he approaches his family palace, where his wife is being besieged by leeching suitors, he encounters his childhood pet Argos, which he raised from a puppy into a magnificent hunting dog, swift as a stag and bold as a lion, but that has now fallen on hard times, old and weak, lying dejected in a pile of manure.BloombergSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles