Melanie, I hope you are feeling better after some rest.

Yay for Khana - doesn't even need more rehearsals!

And I know this is a very late thought, but about making the beautiful Khan look scruffy, here is a thought. Would it bother her is you took a few small rubber bands and banded together some bunches of hair? It you could do that loosely in a 5 or 6 places, she would look scruffy and the bands couldn't be seen by the audience.


I can just picture Khan looking through the curtains. I bet the cast is going to be upset when Khana is the one to make the papers!

Edited to add - that is so sad that she is being roughly handled. Hopefully the director can mention it and it will be better. I would be upset, too!

Oh my hope you feel better quickly. You don't need to be sick!

Hopefully the kids will learn to handle Khana better.

Hi all -

Well, we're down to the wire .. one more dress rehearsal, three performances over the weekend and we're DONE. Some of the cast members have talked about "post-musical depression" and how hard it is when it's all over, but I don't think I'm going to have that problem .. *LOL* .. now, KHANA might. When we have a break, the first night or two she will pace and scratch at the door, then come and stare at me as if to say "HEY! Are you forgetting something??" She has truly enjoyed some of the orphans, and they have been enchanted by her too. There are several who come to our little corner and sit on the floor to pet and love on her during the times we are waiting between Khana's scenes. And there are a couple of those kids that I would love to keep in contact with, because I think they have potential to become trainers themselves. And what's really funny is that both of those girls adore TAZER, too. Tazer is a bit of a handful and she's finally learning to settle some, but the girls are crazy about her. Brittany takes a few treats and then runs Tazer through all her behaviors, which is pretty funny. Tazer's never had to work for anyone but me, but she listens to Brittany. And Brittany has that natural alpha-style personality that dogs tend to respond to.

I went to the store the other day and had Khana with me, and several people stopped and said "is that the dog that plays Sandy?" .. *LOL* .. Khana has FANS! I keep getting told that she's the REAL star of the show, and people ask "how did you get her to ________?" (go to Annie, stay on stage when it's noisy, cross the stage, etc.). And they all seem to love the part when Khana sticks her head through the curtain and looks around. The audience ALWAYS laughs for that. I feel pretty good about that considering it was MY idea in the first place (it's not in the script). We still have some trouble with the folds of the curtain, and we're trying to do this mostly in the dark with just a tiny flashlight. But Khana is willing, and keeps sticking her face into the curtain until she finds the opening. The trick is getting the curtain open enough so that she can stick her head out without opening it so far that anyone sees me. One of the guys that's playing a butler and is in the next scene is helping, now, and he's dependable. He holds the curtain closed above Khana and that lets me work on finding the opening. Once Khana's nose goes out, the director has the spotlight turned on so that everyone sees her beautiful little face.

I'm still fighting this crud, but I'm much better than I was. I have the cough still and an occasional sore throat, runny nose, etc. Achy, too, but then I'm always achy so that could be my normal state. But I'm not on the verge of death like I was before! That was really bad. I shouldn't have been at those first few performances but the show would be kind of a wreck without Khana there. It's not like they can throw in another dog who hasn't even practiced (well, I guess they COULD, but it wouldn't be easy especially with a kid who doesn't even like dogs much).

I don't think I mentioned that they changed the Hooverville scene - the scene where the street people are out hanging around their burn barrels, and Annie comes on looking for her parents. Khana is with her, of course. Then the group does a song/dance while Annie and Sandy wait by the side. Finally it's all broken up by a cop coming out and telling them to leave - he goes after Annie and she drops the leash so that Khana runs to me and Annie runs the opposite way (another of my suggestions, so that the audience could see a real split between the two). Well, we had the scene down and Khana was responding well, and then new sets were added and it became harder for Khana to get offstage (everyone's running by then). Now they've added a couple more cops, one banging a metal pipe inside a burn barrel (very loud!), and Annie is supposed to move forward farther before getting into the confrontation with the cops. For those of you who understand dogs, you know that changing things that much is a lot for a dog to take in, especially with just one or two practices. People actors can understand the "why", but dogs need the repetition of the new behaviors in order for it to become solid. I stayed with Khana and gave her treats while they practiced the loud banging, and she was fine with me (she's been to the fireworks every year and never had a problem with loud noises). When Annie came out, I told her to give Khana treats when the banging happened and she argued with me, said she couldn't, that she had to walk forward, etc. I told her that Khana NEEDED the reassurance, and she just kept arguing it. I finally said "JUST DO IT!!" and then she gave the treat too late and Khana followed her instead of running to me. Of course that all became my fault .. *sigh* .. and since Annie wouldn't help Khana through this, and kept dragging her, Khana actually pulled out of her collar during the next performance when Annie went to walk forward and was dragging Khana with her. So Khana left the stage a bit early, and the next day Annie tells me to tie the collar on tighter because she pulled out of it. I said, in no uncertain terms, that the collar was tight enough and that if Annie hadn't been dragging Khana it wouldn't have happened. She looked at me and said "I was dragging her??" Geez. Like I haven't told her dozens of times to NOT DRAG MY DOG, but she acted like she'd never heard it before. On a good note, she is more careful now that she knows that Khana can get out of the collar. Ive shown her numerous times how to get Khana's attention before she moves (give a tiny tug or two, pat her leg, touch Khana, etc.) but she just never did it.

In retrospect, if I went back a couple months and did this again, I would have set Khana up with a detachable leash so that any time she got pulled on, the leash broke. I would have FORCED the kid to learn how to coax Khana with her, so that she had to learn to communicate. Instead I really thought that they would bond and that Annie would WANT to communicate with such a sweet dog. I have this anxious feeling every time I send Khana out onstage with Annie because I know that the kid couldn't care less about my dog or her welfare. When I leave Khana with Brittany while I go to the other side of the stage (through the back hallway), in prep for the crossing Khana does, I don't worry about how she's being treated because Brittany loves her.

Well, like I said - four more times, starting tonight, and we're done. And I can chock it all up to experience and go on. I leave in about an hour and hopefully my van will start. I came home Sunday to find that I had outlets in the apartment that won't work, and then found that the landlord had plowed with his bobcat and moved HIS extension cords but left mine (it was clear up near the building, it should have been safe anyhow) and he managed to cut my expensive 50' extension cord in half. The left-over piece had been tossed to the side, so I know he knows he did it, but he's made NO effort to let me know. And in the meantime I have outlets that won't work now. I've stopped up at their door several times and haven't caught anyone home (or they just don't answer their door, which is a possibility). So now I either have to run a new extension cord or hope my van will start without the block heater being on.

Okay, I'm off! Will let you all know how these last performances go. I know someone has been videotaping the performances but I'm not sure when the videos will be available. I'm taking my camera tonight in hopes I can grab a few photos, or have someone get some of Khana for me.

Melanie and the girls

good luck!!

Sorry to hear "Annie" isn't being as kind to Khana as you'd like. But I'm glad to hear that, otherwise, things are going along swimmingly. Outstanding! I bet it will be a bit of a relief when it's all over. But what a great experience.

Break a leg as they say.

I am sad also that the "Annie" girl doesn't realize what a great dog Khana is and isn't willing to put forth a little effort, she sounds like a little Diva (Diva as in not in a good way).

If you can get in touch with your land lord ask them to check the breaker that controls the outlets, saying that when you cut my extension cord I think it might have tripped the breaker. That puts him on notice that you know he did it and it is really possible that when the cord was cut it shorted and kicked the breaker out. (yea in my past work life, I worked for an electrician).

Melanie, for you I wish a fast and fun last few shows. For Khana - poor baby, she will miss all the time working with you and the cast.

I have so much enjoyed the stories. I am so sorry 'Annie' is not better at working with Khana. It must be a constant worry for you.

Celebrities! You won't be able to walk down the street or go in any store now without being stopped. Does Khana give pawtographs?

You and Khana should be so proud of your work.

Thanks for all the great responses - I'm so glad that some of you are following our "fifteen minutes of fame" .. *LOL* .. it's been an experience, that's for sure!

Val - yes, I think "diva" fits exactly. But I also think that she's just not a very flexible kid, and that maybe it's just too much for her to handle. And not being a "dog person" (her Mom told me that they have a dog but that she never does anything with it - it's her Dad's dog), she just can't understand what proper handling is. And thanks for the info on the breakers - that's what I figure too, but I don't have access to the breaker box and I have to catch them home to get them to check the breakers and they're just not home much (my Dad was an electrician too, as well as my brother .. *L*).

Bonnie - I thought of making up some "pawtographs" for Khana to give out! *LOL* I have some non-toxic paint, and could make prints off of a back foot pretty easily. I was considering making some little cards (I have a ton of card stock) with a photo of Khana, along with her name and paw print. It would be cute, but I'm almost out of time. Maybe just a few of them could be done for my favorite people, like Brittany. I had her pose tonight with Khana and got some photos, so when I get those uploaded I'll post them. I didn't get any other photos, though, as I'm always busy when Khana is on stage (of course!). I was going to ask someone to take them but didn't find anyone. But one of the ladies there said she has a number of photos with Khana in them and would email them to me if I'd give her my email address. I'm just hoping for some photos of Khana's cameos, without Annie in them. All of the photos I've seen so far are of Annie and Sandy.

Tonight the director allowed a "silly night", which I guess has become some sort of tradition. Actors were allowed to do funny things, like wear the wrong clothes (one of the servant guys was dressed like a guy from India, complete with dark make-up and turban) or use a different prop (the dog catcher doubles as a ventriloquist in the show, and the "dog" he dragged out this time was his puppet instead of the little chihuahua they've been using). The orchestra did some impromptu jazz, which was NICE (our pianist is amazing). But some of the actors went so far overboard that it was irritating and threw off some of the cues and performances. The director had said that all the songs, dances, etc. had to be done correctly, and for the most part they were, but when lines got changed and people got confused it wasn't good. A few played it absolutely straight (like Annie and Warbucks). I was going to have Khana do everything as normal, but when I mentioned to Phil (our director) that I could have her stick her butt out instead of her face, he started laughing and said "DO IT!". So that's what I tried to do, but Khana was NOT amused. She kept trying to tell me "you're WRONG, Mom, my HEAD goes out!" and ended up sitting down as soon as her butt went out, and then she looked over her shoulder at the audience as if to say "I'm sorry, but Mom screwed this up!" .. *LOL* .. people got a laugh out of it, but I'm really glad we're going to do things the right way from now on. I guess this "silly night" is supposed to loosen people up, get them to relax in their parts, etc. It did help Annie loosen up some, although at intermission I was talking to the director and Annie and her Mom came over so that Annie could tell the director that all the silly stuff was messing her up. He explained to her that some people had gone overboard but that he could see that she was more relaxed tonight than she'd ever been, even with the confusion, and that was good. So I wasn't the only one a bit frustrated with the stupid silliness of some of the people.

Oh - one of Khana's props broke while she was on stage. The catch pole the prop department had made up came apart during the end of Annie's "Tomorrow" solo, and all of a sudden Khana was loose and wandering. I stepped onstage and called her to me, and she came right over. I would have stayed out of view if it had been a performance, but it wasn't worth having her get spooked during a rehearsal. The prop just wasn't made as solidly as it should have been, but they should have it fixed by tomorrow and it only has to last through Sunday. When I was putting her other collar on for the next scene, backstage, Annie told me "don't come out and get her if that happens again". I thought "damn impertinent kid!" and told her that it's just a rehearsal, and she said "but people are watching and videotaping for photos and stuff". So I just said "I'm going to do what's right for my dog, and I don't care about the rest." I couldn't believe I was getting lectured by this 11 year old kid, and I did mention later to her mother that she had scolded me. Her Mom shook her head and said "she has a tendency to get a bit bossy" or something to that effect. It's not a good idea for this kid to get bossy with me, because I'm already ultra-irritated by her. I've held back because she IS a child, but really .. she's pushing the alpha bitch, and that's not a good thing!

I would love to write some little skits for the dogs and some of the kids that I think are great little performers, and who have built up a good relationship with Khana and Tazer. It would be fun, and we could incorporate some of the tricks the dogs know. With the right kid, they could give the cues onstage and have the dog respond. I'll have to think about that some more. I could be the director/trainer and use the kids that have the proper talent. Hmmmmmm ... *mind racing* .. *L*

I hope some of the things I've learned through this entire experience will help others who may be considering having their dogs in performances like this. I know I've mentioned some things I'd do differently if I went back and did it again. I think that when directors are dealing with dogs that have fairly important parts, they should pick out a couple of potential actors for the part, and then have them both work the part for a bit before choosing which one will actually do it. If they'd done that, we could have seen who fit best with Khana and I think the show would have been even better. It's obvious to anyone who knows dogs, that there's zero connection between Annie and Sandy. But if Brittany or one of the others had been Annie, there would have been this shining bond between them and it would have pushed the musical over the edge. I think I will suggest that "dual actor" concept to the directors just in case they run into this kind of thing again.

Khana is sound asleep, flat on her side. Tazer is sleeping too, but she spends most of her time in the van while we're there. She's just too noisy to keep inside, but she comes in right at the beginning and waits for her scene, then after Khana is done with the two scenes I take them both out for a break and leave Tazer in the van again. She sits there and watches anyone who may come by the van .. *L* .. so she comes home tired too. And I'm tired, of course. I forgot to take my extended release pain meds this morning, and remembered on the way to the rehearsal. I thought "you're gonna have to deal with it" and went on to the rehearsal anyhow, but took them as soon as I got home. So I'm a bit achier than normal, but the pain meds are kicking in now. It was SO STUPID of me to forget to take them! How could I forget that?? Geez.

Tomorrow I will remember .. *L*.. tomorrow, tomorrow, you're only a day away!

Melanie, Khana and Tazer

Melanie, I love reading the updates, it sounds like Khana is turning into quite a diva herself, how will you live with her? LOL

It would be so cool to be able to continue, like you said writing some skits/heck maybe even do another play, incorporating the kids and the dogs!! I'll bet people would LOVE IT!

Ok do you go around singing that 'tomorrow' song LOL? Keep up the good work, I love the little card idea with Khana's pawprint and pic of her, like an autograph!

It's about time, right? *L* The lady who took these photos put them on disk for me and gave me the disk tonight at the performance. The only one I took is the one of Khana and Brittany.

This is Khana after she's first gone out on stage - I send her out to Annie, who has just noticed a dog the dogcatchers didn't get. Khana is dragging a catchpole.



This one is during Hooverville, where all the "street people" dance while singing a song about Herbert Hoover and how he didn't step up to his campaign promises. Annie and Sandy go off to one side and sit on the floor while the others do their dancing.



This photo is also in the Hooverville scene. One of the street people has cooked up a pot of something, and Annie is asked if she's hungry. She says "no, but my dog is!" and she's given a bowl for Sandy (she puts some treats in it).



Khana LOVES this part - she sticks her head through the curtain and looks around. She always gets laughs from this, and lots of "awwwwww's" too!



The big finale, right after they've all taken their bows .. the entire cast sings "Tomorrow" right before leaving the stage for the last time. The big guy playing Daddy Warbucks does SUCH a great job - he really "makes" the show. The girl on the left is a young teenager, and she's just beautiful. AND sweet! The little girl to the right of Warbucks plays Molly, and she's absolutely cute in the role.



And finally, the photo I took of Khana with Brittany, my favorite orphan and the kid that I think would make a great dog trainer. Khana adores her.



So there it is - PROOF that I didn't make all this up! *LOL* Tonight's performance went really well, and Annie did a decent job of working with Khana. I think she's finally relaxed enough in her performance that she can start thinking outside of just her own self, if that makes sense. Khana's getting a tad bit lackadaisical about things, slowing down to a walk instead of a trot when she goes out to see Annie, etc. She just needs to keep her enthusiasm up for two more performances, and then we're done. It's kind of amazing to see how relaxed Khana has become about so much of it. When we walk down the back hallway (behind the auditorium, where you can get to the other side of the stage without being seen), she just walks calmly along with no tension on the leash, completely at ease. When we first started doing this, she was excited and pulling me, but now she's calm and accepting. She's also doing much better on stage, as she knows that she will be onstage until a certain point and she doesn't keep looking for me all the time. The only scene that bothers her is the Hooverville one, because at the end they get frantic and it's noisy, and Khana knows she will get turned loose and can run to me. So she anticipates that and pulls away from Annie. But today Annie actually kneeled down and gave Khana some more treats at that point, which is perfect distraction for her.

Tazer was funny tonight - she was really complaining when on stage. And you guys know that German shepherd yodeling that they do so well - Tazer is VERY vocal and she really played up her part today .. *LOL* .. after all, she's been caught by the dogcatcher, so she should be miserable, right? If people only knew how much she loves to get in that dang crate, they'd be amazed.

Khana is sound asleep and I'm going to follow her footsteps very soon. I only had a couple of hours sleep last night (insomnia and out of sleep meds, but picked them up today so I'm set now). I'm TIRED! *L* But I really wanted to get these photos posted now that I had them.

Melanie and the girls