Real Rescue dogs for a musical

'101 Dalmatians Musical' Stars Real Rescue Dogs On Stage
by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts)
Oct 13th 2009 3:00PM

Categories: Dogs, Pets in the News, Adoption, Training

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Jada and Bella pose in front of their "Puppy Palace" tour bus. Photo: The 101 Dalmatians Musical
Unless you're Cruella de Vil, you are guaranteed to love the new "101 Dalmatians" musical -- especially since all of the animal actors are shelter rescues.

"The script for the musical is based on the original 1956 book by Dodie Smith in which the story is told from the dogs' perspectives," the show's producer, Lee Marshall, tells Paw Nation. "Nothing in the musical is related to any of the motion pictures," he says, referring to the 1961 animated Walt Disney movie and the 1996 live-action film starring Glenn Close.

To illustrate the world as the dogs see it, all the human actors will be on 15-inch stilts surrounded by an extra-tall set scaled to show a dog's eye view of the world. The lead dog roles of Pongo and Missus Perdita -- whose Dalmatian puppies are stolen by the evil Cruella de Vil -- will be played by human actors dressed in fashionably spotted suits, and child actors will play the puppies.

But Marshall sprinkles each performance with real Dalmatians. Fifteen fortunate pups bound on the stage at the end of Act 1 and during the show's finale, performing choreographed movements set to music written by Dennis DeYoung, founding member of the legendary band Styx.


Animal trainer Joel Slaven with the rescued Dalmatian stars. Photo: The 101 Dalmatians Musical
At first, Joel Slaven, the show's animal trainer, was hesitant to get involved with the musical. "When the '101 Dalmatians' movie came out, everybody ran out and bought a Dalmatian without giving it a whole lot of thought, resulting in thousands of the dogs [that ended up] in shelters," Slaven tells Paw Nation.

Then he learned that the producers and Purina Dog Chow, the show's sponsor, were adamant about using only rescued Dalmatians in the musical, as well as including a frankly-worded Playbill insert that informs audience members about Dalmatians as pets. The note says that a Dalmatian is an "active, curious and loving friend who sheds a lot and requires mind-stimulating activities ... who do not like to be left alone, do not adapt well to being outside dogs, are light skinned and burn easily in the sun, are genetically predisposed to have problems processing purines, can be deaf, and live an average of 10-12 years, requiring a lifetime commitment."

"I realized it was an opportunity to turn this thing around, and instead of promoting people going out and buying Dalmatians for pets, we could actually educate the public on what they need to do if they're going to get any dog for a pet," says Slaven.

Beginning in January, Slaven and his team of trainers searched the country for Dalmatians at shelters and rescue groups. "We literally went coast to coast looking for dogs who were confident, secure, social, and not shy or timid," Slaven says. They found 15 such Dalmatians, and gave them names such as Rascal, Rosie, Tibbs, Hanna, Jada and Bella. Some had heartworm or needed dental work, while others were either emaciated or obese.

"We brought them all down to the farm in Florida [where Slaven maintains an expansive training facility] and spent the first month building bonds with the dogs, playing with them, and getting them in good physical condition," Slaven explains. When the dogs were at their perfect weight and their coats and eyes shining, Slaven and his trainers began working with the Dalmatians using treats and other positive reinforcement.

As "The 101 Dalmatians Musical" tours the country, the 15 Dalmatians will travel in style in a luxurious purple bus customized just for the dogs. "Purina bought a big, rock star bus and tricked it out," says Slaven. "We call it the 'Puppy Palace.'" The back of the bus is outfitted with large compartments where the dogs will sleep at night. The floors of the bus are made of soft rubber for traction so the dogs don't slip and hurt themselves. Up front are bunks for the trainers with individual mini-TV screens. "I looked in there the other day," says Slaven, laughing, "and the dogs were in bed watching TV with the trainers." During the day, a team of five trainers will set up 10-by-10-foot playpens lined with fresh pine shavings for the Dalmatians to play in.

"There's no doubt they're having fun," Slaven says of the Dalmatians. "They have a great life now. They'll do the show for a year, and if the musical continues, we'll see which dogs are still enjoying it and which will be placed for adoption."

The The 101 Dalmatians Musical opens October 13th in Minneapolis before setting off on a nationwide tour.