In “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” Launce’s dog is named Crab.
Crab belongs to Launce, the clownish servant of Proteus, and travels with him when the action moves from Verona to Milan. Although Crab never speaks, the dog becomes central to one of the play’s most famous comic scenes: Launce complains that Crab failed to show proper sorrow when Launce left home, while the human members of Launce’s family were openly emotional.
The joke depends on Launce treating the dog as both a beloved companion and an absurdly ungrateful member of the household. Crab’s silence gives the scene its comic contrast, since Launce supplies an entire imagined personality and set of motives for him.
Crab is not a lion, mastiff, or human character. The play is an early Shakespearean comedy, generally dated to around 1589–1593, and Crab is often remembered as its most effective non-speaking scene-stealer. The dog is also listed among the play’s named characters in modern editions.