101 Dalmatians: Spotlight Shines on Smiling Shelter Dogs

The following is a result of a private backstage tour friends and I enjoyed after watching a fantastic performance of 101 Dalmatians which we bravely attended sans children–and yes, some parents looked at us kinda funny, but only a few out of the over 2000 plus people in the audience.  George Anthony, tour manager, filled us in on the backstory of how the 2009 show got off the ground, and what the lives of the dogs look like on the road.

A gargantuan undertaking, trainers tested more than 200 dogs to get the 15 stars you see on stage in 101 Dalmatians: The Musical.  Stage presence and living in a pack are not the simple traits they seem to be.  This project may have been made more difficult to realize were it not for the dedication of a man on a mission, who was not so hot on the idea himself when first approached for help. 

Joel Slaven (you might recognize him as 30-year industry veteran who trained exotic animals with Jack Hanna) found that the idea to use shelter dogs was the brainchild of one of Spain’s most successful, award-winning theatrical producers, Luis Alvarez, whose world premiere of 101 Dalmatians: The Musical in Madrid broke all records for sponsorships.  Using shelter dogs was also sanctioned by Spain’s animal groups, and backed by Purina Dog Chow as sponsors of the US production.  Slaven, given the facts that the audience would be warned against going out and getting a Dalmatian both in print and on stage, now saw this as a good idea. (Dalmatians are not cut out for staying home alone all day or sitting watching TV–they are high activity dogs.)

Shelters were none too cooperative with Slaven when he asked them and breed specific rescues for a partnership in filling 15 acting roles for the 2009 version of  101 Dalamatians.  Too much bad news had happened to the breed after the last theatre event in 1996 ran with a sequel close on its heels in 2000. The resulting popular demand for Dalmatians caused over-breeding and a host of magnified bad traits affecting the health and well-being for generations of dogs. 

When Slaven pointed out that his Joel Slaven Professional Animals enterprise is known for taking care of animals for their  lifetime once they are transferred to them, cooperation grew exponentially. Slaven says the dog actors serve as ambassadors for shelter dogs, and when their acting days are over, he is all about finding homes for them.

It took six months of “interviewing” potential candidates across the US to find these 15, and not all were from shelters. Five are former show dogs. I met Rascal, barely out of puppyhood just over a year old.  He had been through abandonment at a vet’s office with a broken leg at 4 mos.  Rascal’s from Second Chances Dalmatian Rescue in Ohio. He’s the one who decided to eat the tour director’s “homework” during one of his many “office visits.”  I got lovely dog kisses, but suspect he really wanted my wool scarf, yummy to chew and smells undoubtedly like my dog Tashi.

Once the dogs were chosen, they had to address fitness and bonding issues, so they were all shipped to Slaven’s training facility in Florida and given a 100 day period for this purpose.  The confidence building classes needed to avoid fearful reactions to different surfaces, get used to being transported, stage lights, music, and noise of the theatre desensitization were all based on positive reinforcement.  All exposures are designed to be fun for the dogs.  Then they are ready for specific task and “spot” (or “place”) training for their stage work.  Anthony said that dogs know they will be going on stage by the musical cues and the thumping of wagging tails on crates creates its own backstage music. (Did you know Dalmatians smile, some just grin, but others show all their teeth?)

All 15 dogs are used intermittently in the show. Ten minutes is the attention span limit and that length was never tested, not even close.  Here is the dogs’ schedule for the day as related by Anthony:

“These special actors keep their schedules no matter what time zone they are in. They usually sleep in the theatre and wake at 5 or 6 for their first walk of the day, come back to breakfast (Purina Dog Chow, sponsors), followed by playtime with their trainers and another walk at 8am then exercise. Theatres have been good to the dogs, and allow them to use the lobby and staircases for running and stretching:)
A nap is followed by lunch, light play, a walk and press and PR appearances, then it’s show time.  The funny thing is that some dogs, just like some actors, get too excited and have to have a walk before their stage appearance. Ha!

The finale was a three minute burst of beautifully choreographed movements where dogs unwound canopies on the house, pushed a mower to trim the grass, moved the doghouse and prepared the yard and potted plants by pushing levers.  Some of which you can see in this training video:)

 Many thanks to George Anthony (formally George Anthony Aqbuva) the excellent tour director who spent at least an hour with us and who knew everything about everything, and to Ashley Young, of Joel Slaven’s Professional Trainers group,  Rascal’s trainer for spending her free time with us, and to Rascal for the good dog kisses(both pictured above)! Chicagoans have until Feb 28th to catch the show, then it’s on to Columbus, OH, Indianpolis, IN, to RI and then NY.  They finish in LA in Summer.