This year Holyoke High School’s musical cast and crew and their adviser/director Mr. Todd will be presenting The Wizard of Oz. What will make this play different than any other of the Holyoke High School productions? A special twist, two of the top-trained show dogs available to play the role of Toto.

The dogs names’ are Dusty and Snickers, two small, very adorable, Black Cairn Terriers. Snickers, the elder dog, and Dusty, the young gun, are highly talented, trained K-9s; products of the William Berloni Theatrical Animals, Inc. William Berloni trains numerous types of dogs that have performed in countless Broadway plays and movies including The Legally Blonde Broadway Musical, Peter Pan Live, and the role of beloved pooch “Sandy” in the new Annie remake.

Their handler who will be training the dogs here at Holyoke High, Sherri Andrews, shared with The Herald something unexpected: all of the dogs Bill Berloni takes in and trains are rescue dogs: dogs that have come from very harsh circumstances and may have even suffered abuse. Mr. Berloni turns these pups live’s around.

The two that will be “acting” in the musical department’s Wizard of Oz are “a lot of fun to work with and very cute,” says Sam Monsalve ’16 who will be playing the main role of Dorothy.

Darian Gonzales ’17, who will be playing The Coroner, told The Herald, “The dogs are very professional and extremely easy to work with.” The dogs are a great burst of energy and extremely entertaining to watch, even when they are not performing.

Jonathon Doshaud disappointedly shared with The Herald, “I don’t get to work with the dogs, pretty much everybody else does….they’re cute.”

Sherri Andrews works on and off with the dogs, but she loves whenever she does work with them. She shared with The Herald a few fun facts about Dusty and Snickers. When asked about their favorite treat, she answered, “They’ll eat pretty much anything,” just like any other dog. They have both done countless shows and have gained their star dome by practice, practice, practice. When The Herald asked Sherri about what kind of tricks Dusty and Snickers can perform, she simply said, “Come see the show!”

Without a doubt, The Wizard of Oz is a must see play. Many are anticipating its opening date on March 12th, here at Holyoke High in the auditorium. With a very talented staff of actors, directors, moving crew, set designers, and two special pups, this play is sure to deliver.  Therefore, expect nothing less than spectacular for this year’s play. Holyoke High is a standout in play productions. Here at Holyoke High, Mr. Todd and his crew of dedicated students without a doubt, “put on a show.”