CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Addison is a spunky, rambunctious 6-year-old medium, yellow, shaggy pup who in 2017, was sitting in a shelter in North Carolina awaiting a not so happy fate.
"She was helped by so many to save her life," said Mel Rocco, Addison's theatrical animal handler.
Rocco said when a rescue couple saw her picture they knew she'd be a perfect "Sandy" to her best friend Annie.
"They contacted my boss, Bill Berloni, about her. She was then transferred and saved from euthanasia. She then passed the audition with flying colors with Bill and then a star was immediately born." she laughed.
Rocco said success on stage is all about temperament, if the animals are happy working with children and if they can listen well.
"I work with two very sweet dogs, Addison and Georgie, who is her understudy. My job is to travel with them, keep them safe and happy," Rocco said.
It sometimes takes two to three years to train animals for stage work.
"It's always about positive reinforcement all the time. It brings a different element into theater which makes it more real when the dog is on stage. I assist in the handling aspect but it takes years to train dogs to be on stage," said Rocco.
Rocco, Addison and her understudy Georgie travel the country as part of the national tour.
"I drive the pups, I do the same routes as the truck drivers do. We take very long road trips to get to where we want to go, but I love it because I have my best friends with me," she smiled. "We started rehearsals in August and are on the road until June,” Rocco said.
Berloni has trained his dogs for 27 Broadway shows, including “Annie.” His rescued Chihuahuas, bulldogs and others have performed in productions such as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Legally Blonde”, and he is the only animal trainer to have been honored with a Tony Award.
Rocco said Sandy only has a few minutes on stage, but she's really the heart and soul of the show.
"It's lots of naps, treats, cookies, love and adventures. Every time they go to the theater they are always happy to see their friends. We then do our dog calls before a performance, which is a quick new rehearsal in a new space, and we keep our consistency, and then it's show time."
Rocco said long day of travel and work, a little cookies and love goes a long way.
"It's all about positive reinforcement, love and kindness," she smiled.
Sandys cast are always rescue dogs. Addison was rescued six years ago from a North Carolina animal shelter, one day before she was set to be euthanized, similar to the original Sandy back in 1976.
"These rescue dogs could've been anyone's dog if they had been given that chance, but now these dogs are stars. It's meaningful. All the dogs are rescued so they all have some background of a near death experience, so they literally become rags to riches," Rocco said.
PAWS Chicago has given donated tickets to their many volunteers and interns who gave nearly 100,000 hours of their time to PAWS Chicago last year.
You can see Addison and the cast of “Annie" at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through March 19.
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