Homeless cocker spaniel wins Broadway role

By Stone Martindale Sep 17, 2006, 3:25 GMT

NEW YORK- In these times of overwhelmingly bad news and seemingly hopeless situations, along comes a ray of hope.  A homeless abandoned caramel colored cocker spaniel beat out 11 other shelter dogs in an audition in New York recently, winning a role in a musical production of "Annie" in December.

"Whiskey," and his puppy son were surrendered by owners no longer able to care for them four months ago.  Whiskey was all waggy tails and charm as he posed for the cameras, eagerly chased a cookie when asked to, and gave Marissa O'Donnell, the 12-year-old actress who plays "Annie", a big wet kiss.

That won the hearts of the judges, as well as the members of the media and onlookers at the Madison Square Garden where the live auditions were held.

"He was actually my first choice because he's not restless and he's quite friendly and not afraid of people," O'Donnell told Reuters. O'Donnell, a native New Yorker, will play the title role in the musical, which returns to the New York stage in December for the first time in 10 years.

Brian Hoffman, one of the show's dog trainers, said having a disciplined and well-behaved dog, like Whiskey, was really important because there would be loads of people and kids in the show. Reported Reuters.

"It's important that he's not agitated by the stream of activity. We really needed a poised and confident dog and we found that in Whiskey," said Hoffman.

Whiskey is currently under the care of the Humane Society of New York, and the organization's director hopes that by winning a part in "Annie", he will find a new home.