Tag: Sandy

Rescue Dog (Very Briefly) Steals the Show as Sandy in ‘Annie Live!’

Sure, 12-year-old Celina Smith was amazing in the title role of “Annie Live!” that aired on NBC last night. But for dog lovers like me, equally adorable was Macy, the pooch playing the part of Sandy. Unfortunately, Macy got to strut her scruffy stuff in just a couple of heartwarming scenes.

This wasn’t Macy’s first rodeo, er, live theater production. Since being rescued from Rocky Spot Dalmatian Rescue in Oklahoma and adopted by dog trainer Bill Berloni, Macy has appeared in more productions of “Annie” than any other four-legged actor.

And if Berloni’s name rings a bell, it’s because he rescued and trained the very first Sandy for the original Broadway production of “Annie” 45 years ago. Ever since then, Berloni has continued to train the dogs for all “Annie” revivals, Broadway World reports.

Seven years ago, Berloni trained the rescued gray Poodle mix named Bowdie who stole the show as Nana in “Peter Pan Live,” also on NBC. It was the first time that a dog rather than a human played the part of Nana.

Besides the wrinkly bald cap that Harry Connick, Jr. wore as Daddy Warbucks, the main criticism by viewers and reviewers was that the production needed more Sandy. A lot more Sandy.

“Note to TV producers: You cannot introduce an absolutely adorable and well-behaved dog in the first half-hour and then have the dog just … disappear,” wrote Emily Yahr in the Washington Post. Amen to that!

“Live animals are notoriously hard to wrangle for these types of things, so the fact that Sandy didn’t cause any hiccups is an early Christmas miracle,” Maureen Lee Lenker and Lauren Huff wrote in Entertainment Weekly. “Our only complaint? The fact he wasn’t in every frame of the show.” Right?!

“‘Annie’ benefited from its sheer unpretentiousness, offering the can’t-miss (or at least miss entirely) combination of cute kids, buoyant dance numbers, a little girl with a big voice, that trademark red dress, and of course a very well-trained dog who shows up just long enough to make everyone swoon,” Brian Lowry noted on CNN. True, but it definitely wasn’t long enough!

Well, if they gave Emmy awards for special appearances by dogs in live musical productions, Macy would surely be honored. Brava, Smith and Macy!

Photo: NBC/YouTube

Hero Pomeranian Stays by Blind Chihuahua’s Side During House Fire

When Lily Ifield of Hertfordshire, England, looked out her bedroom window in the middle of the night earlier this month, she thought the thick smoke she saw was fog.

But when she went downstairs, she realized the smoke was coming from inside her house.

“I thought my home was going to explode. There was just this big billowing cloud of black smoke,” she Daily Express, describing a house fire earlier this month. “All I thought was, ‘Oh my God,’ and ran out. I couldn’t really see as there was smoke everywhere.”

Ifield, 73, and Sandy, her 10-year-old Pomeranian, managed to escape outside, but Sandy noticed somebody was missing.

It was Tina, a blind, 13-year-old Chihuahua who is Sandy’s best friend.

To Ifield’s horror, Sandy ran back into the burning house. “The fireman couldn’t believe Sandy went in to the smoke-filled house to look for the little one,” Ifield told the Daily Express. “He said when he came in, they were both sitting side by side in the kitchen, and Sandy was looking after her.”

Firefighters from the Stortford Fire and Rescue Service were able to save the two dogs.

“We got them out before there was a chance for them to be affected by smoke inhalation,” one of their rescuers, Pat Steadman, told the Daily Express. “The 13-year-old one was the smallest chihuahua you’ve ever seen. They were only going to come out together.”

Ifield’s parrot, Rio, also survived the blaze by flying out of the house. The fire was believed to be caused by an electrical issue in the kitchen. Ifield and her pets are temporarily staying in a hotel while repairs are made to their home.

“The firefighters did a brilliant job to make sure everyone was okay,” Ifield told the Hertfordshire Mercury. “They are so kind — I just want to thank them so much.”

Tina and her hero Sandy were already BFFs before the fire. But now? “They are even closer, and they just cuddle up to each other,” Ifield told the Daily Express.

Photo (of a random Pomeranian who isn’t Sandy): OpenRoadPR

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