SYNOPSIS OF CANIS MAJORIS

BY

ROBERT WALLACE PAOLINELLI

Continued from Chapter VIII, page 30

A back injury lays up Albert. The X-mas trip to Valley Forge is canceled. While Albert recuperates, Tony keeps him company; a temporary maid, hired to help Albert, hears Tony speaking; frightened by this, she runs from the house screaming. The police are summoned; there are some embarrassing moments for all. (Begins now a rumor of a talking dog on the campus). Afterwards, during a conversation between Albert, Sylvia and Tony, it is brought out that Albert wants Tony to be mated. At first Tony protests, but a visit to Dr. Ardath's house,(the college president) where he plays with some children, causes him to have romantic fantasies about having his own family, and he changes his mind, and during that visit, Albert informs Dr. Ardath that, come the spring, he will make known to the world a great scientific achievement.

Tony selects a "wife" from a dog encyclopedia. While Albert and Sylvia are off getting a pedigree Pharoah Hound, Tony, is left with Uncle Corrado. After a discussion with him on original sin and whether or not animals have souls, Tony goes through an identity crisis because he begins to see he is an anomalous entity in a world not of his own chosing. With a sad heart, he dictates a letter to Uncle Corrado to his father, stating he refuses to be mated and will withdraw from further participation in his father's experiment.

Albert and Sylvia return with Tony's mate, her name is Betty; he likes her; nevertheless, Tony asks Uncle Corrado to give Albert the letter. The letter read, there follows a poignant scene where Tony bares his heart to his father about how he feels being a dog with human consciousness. During their emotional dialogue, Albert calls Tony "...my son."

This episode turns everything around and after a soul-searching reconsideration, Tony and Betty mate, but Tony, having lived a rather naive, sheltered life among humans, discovers his canine eros, and mates not only with Betty, but with several dogs in the neighborhood. Betty gives birth to four puppies. Afterwards, it is discovered they have inherited Tony's intellectual powers. Dr. Ardath is given proof of Tony and the pups' abilities. Much is made of this, and plans for the future are made. Tony will be introduced to the world!

Sometime after the birth of his puppies, Tony discovers that in his first throes of uncontrolled eros, he impregnated other dogs, who have also given birth to brilliant offsprings. Albert is told, and he is dumbfounded, for he views these other births as a disaster to his work. In an ensuing uproar, Tony is castigated by both Albert and Sylvia for his promiscuousness--which he takes to heart, and, also, the meanness of Sylvia is at last revealed, and Tony realizes he has an enemy, adding another dimension to the story. The shock of these other births sends Albert to the hospital and again Tony feels shut out from the world of humans--in spite of his human consciousness, education and sentiments. As Albert is being loaded into the ambulance, Tony speaks rudely, and out loud, to a paramedic, and, unbeknowst to all, his voice is recorded. This is to have dire consequences later.

While Albert is in the hospital, Tony reconciles his true feelings for his father, and conceives a mad plan for his father to create thousands of gentle humans using the DNA process which gave him life. Uncle Corrado shows him the folly of this idea. Sensing danger and realizing his odd status as a dog precludes him from having civil rights, Tony asks Uncle Corrado for protection because he has a premonition of trouble. (All through chapters IX & X, there is the building up of the antagonism between D'Augusta and Blauteufel which comes to a head upon Albert's return from the hospital).

When Albert is released from the hospital, Sylvia asks for a meeting with Tony during which she states she and Albert have agreed, that for the sake of all concerned, Tony and the puppies will be lobotomized. Uncle Corrado is outraged and calls Albert to task for this vile intention. During this scene, the tension is broken by the arrival of a TV news crew wanting to interview the talking dog.

Again Sylvia's true feelings are revealed and after being again castigated, Tony looses all reason and in a fit of revenge, telephones Blauteufel, introduces himself, and invites him over.

Blauteufel arrives. He and Tony have an intellectual duel during which Blauteufel, infuriated, attacks Tony. Uncle Corrado tries to intervene, but is himself attacked by the wild Blauteufel. Sylvia, who could help, does not, so it falls to Albert (weak as he is) to rush into the fray. He puts Blauteufel out of action, however, in the process, he suffers a stroke and dies; Sylvia goes mad and has to be restrained and carried away.

The police come to investigate Albert's death; during the investigation it is brought out that Blauteufel and Tony, the dog, have had words which drove Dr. B. to attack Tony, during which attack, Albert died. The police are confused and shake their heads.

A great sadness descends on the house. Tony and Uncle Corrado go into deep mourning. However, the story of the melee and Albert's death cannot be kept from the media, who make much ado over the story even though they have so little information, nevertheless, wild and scandalous assertions are made. Tony and Corrado prepare for the funeral and also keep the curious public and rapacious media away.

A large, solemn funeral is organized. Corrado delivers an eloquent funeral oration in which he reveals that Tony and the deceased are related through DNA, and that Tony is a genius and can speak. One last incident with Blauteufel at the grave shows he has had a change of heart and Tony's hatred of him, for having been instrumental in his father's death, melts.

The will is read: Corrado gets physical custody and is made executor.

They all go to live in the mountains. As many of Tony's progeny as can be found or recovered are taken to their remote site, and a dog village is established with their own university.

The story ends with a brief description of the dog community's daily life and activities, and a summing up of Tony's life and some parting words on cano-humano relationships.gs are becoming more prevalent. Although this religion

{NOTE BY R. Haig: Fragmented text below retrieved from original MS Word document}

0synopsis12/16/9512/7/95 Éne has such an experience in life. When it does come, some might think it a curse and go on living sad, melancholic lives of quiet desperation, or, they seize the moment and change their lives forever.