This is a story about how a Small Munsterlander named Giorgio ended up being a Schaller. The Schaller’s are a small little family of five; Dad, Mom, two daughters, Briana and Mia  and their son Nicolas all living in a modest Cape Cod style house in Pennsylvania. The family is an atypical typical family Dad in that is an artist, Mom is a domestic goddess and the girls are fine examples of angels and Nicolas is well the little brother. The meat of the story is Dad enjoys his after dinner cocktails, Mom gets things done, the angels know Dad is head over heels for them and the son is Dad's mini-me sidekick. 

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The fantasy ends there and the real story begins…It has been close to 11 years that their first beloved man's best friend died. It was their first dog, the first living thing they shared after they were married and before kids. It was sad but there came comfort in their mobility and not having to worry about "What are we going to do with the dog?” The eldest daughter surely missed her. Briana had some innate trait, that must have been handed down by her Native American ancestors because she was sympathetic towards animals and yearned for another dog. The nightly discussion that followed dinner always revolved around the question, "Why can't we get another dog?" Dad always replied with a list of many reasons including shared responsibility, blah, blah, blah and ended with a final “No,” and a sip of his favorite cocktail, a Manhattan. One night after the dinner conversation entertained all and laughter ensued, they shared stories and Dad’s Manhattan slid down his throat like sweet nectar. The banter was so well received there was even time for another Manhattan. As that tantalized his taste buds, the conversation turned to Briana's request, "Why can't we get another dog?" Dad put his half empty glass down and said the words that would send people scurrying… He said, "Fine, as long as it is a hunting dog." Before he could finish the cherry at the bottom of the glass, the family was at the computer googling hunting dogs. A couple days had passed and Dad thought he was in the clear but, get things done and the "neck" of the household, aka Mom, had been doing some nightly research and found a combination of Dad's weaknesses in a breed of dogs that would bring a furry Small Munsterlander to their home. Armed with her iPad, she sat down to dinner and at the sound of the cocktail shaker, up went the pictures of a breed of dog that could fulfill Dad’s hunting needs, this was truly amazing. 

 

What is more amazing is how it came to be. The other members of the family must have planned and plotted in recre-ating another night of laughter, banter and bourbon. It was a well rehearsed play that Dad got caught up in while daydreaming of this ultimate hunting dog. Dreaming of times when he wasn't at the easel he would be standing over his dog on a steady point. Dad couldn't take it anymore, the excitement of a super dog, an all in one dog had dad exclaiming, "Fine we'll get one but I need to sell a painting first!” That was Dad, he was always adding stipulations and clauses and rules to keep the family on their toes. Briana took this challenge in stride and professed, “I'll pray to Blessed Pier Giorgio, he always answers my prayers.” As fate would have it, Dad checked his e-mail the next day and there was an e-mail that confirmed... “Sold” in the subject line. One of Dad's gallery directors had sold a painting and thereby had answered Briana's prayers. Like all good stories they have twists and turns, this story is no exception. If there is one person that has a great sense of humor it would be the creator of humor. Dad had just found out that he sold a painting that fulfilled his daughter's request but the painting was a small painting that sold for half the amount needed to add a Small Munsterlander to the Schaller family. How naive for Dad's stipulations and amendments to not have foreseen the obvious profit margin and expenses. It was obviously divine intervention that made Dad concede and add another member to the Schaller family. He even made a futile attempt to name the dog but the victor thought it was better to name him in honor of an answered prayer, Giorgio.  

 

To this day, the family still travels in unity to art shows and impromptu expeditions in search of fun, food and shops while cultivating memories. They enjoy traveling, creating and even standing over Giorgio on a sure to be steady point. It didn't surprise anyone that an atypical family could have found a love for such an atypical dog such as a Small Munsterlander.