Leapin’ Lizards, Pumpkin! You Won’t Be an Orphan for Long

3:00pm | Annie, the musical beloved by numbers of little girls, little girls, their families and a couple of boys, too, has come to Musical Theater West (MTW) with fanfare and fun. Andrea McArdle, who was the first incarnation of the indomitable orphan, has grown up to play the abominable matron of the Municipal Girls Orphanage, and the young film actress Melody Harris is Annie. And, of course, there’s Sandy, played by professional canine performer named Mikey, but the Pet Post spotlight is on another little girl orphan.

Right: Sandy (Mikey), flanked by Annie (Melody Hollis) and Miss Hannigan (Andrea McArdle)

Brian Michael Hoffman, Mikey’s trainer, came up with the idea of getting a shelter dog for a cameo performance in Annie. Theater staff approached Animal Control Services (ACS) with the idea, and they happily conducted auditions within their ranks. An adorable fuzz-faced wirehair and fox terrier mix (we think) named Pumpkin was cast as a stray dog whom Annie came upon in an alley right before she met Sandy.

“Michelle Quigley [ACS chief of operations] has been amazing, and brings Pumpkin to all the shows,” said Gigi Fusco Meese, MTW’s director of public and community relations. “All of us at Musical Theatre West are happy to have Pumpkin join our cast of Annie. We know she’s going to like it here!”

Right: Pumpkin, typecast as a stray in need of a home in MTW’s Annie

Pumpkin’s performance isn’t a stretch for her. She is actually a foundling and is up for adoption. She’s so winning that she’s certain to get a number of fans waiting to take her home. We interviewed Pumpkin this week after she’d had a few performances under her collar. Michelle Quigley provided support for the little dog star.

Judy and Kate: Pumpkin, before you entered show business, what was your occupation? What was your life like?

Pumpkin: I was a little girl lost in the city of Cerritos with my sister. We had no ID or tags or license or microchip or anything like that. Our mommy and daddy put T-shirts on us, but nothing else, and there was no way for ACS to reunite us with our family. I wasn’t able to tell the good people at ACS any of that information. I’m only three years old, after all.

J and K: What was it about you that dogapulted you to fame? Were you discovered lapping water at Rosie’s Dog Beach, like Lana Turner at a soda fountain?

P: Well, actually, MTW called over to Chief Michelle Quigley to tell her that Annie was coming to town, and the people who put on the play always call local shelters to feature a local animal in every town they go to. Annie is an orphan, so they’re raising awareness of orphaned and abandoned pets. The good folks at ACS came walking through the kennel area, and there I was, trying to get their attention. My sister had been chosen for adoption, but I was left behind. The casting people considered me a “diamond in the ruff.”

J and K: Has life in the theater changed you?

P: Nope, I’m as lovable as ever. And everyone’s been really nice. They treat me like one of the family—a regular cast and crew member.

J and K: Do you have an understudy in case you get adopted in the middle of the show?

P: Sadly, there are over 100 potential “understudies” being cared for at ACS. I hope that I get adopted. Mikey—the professional Sandy, who’s my star and hero—is a rescue dog from the East Coast, so there’s always a potential star waiting in the wings—or the kennels, anyway. Even for my small part, the Annie people go through shelters trying to pick out someone as beautiful as me.

J and K: What’s next for you? Have you been called by agents for more shows, or do you have other life plans?

P: My life plan is to find a forever home that will have a microchip and tag for me, so that if I ever get lost again, my friends at ACS can find me. Much as I love the great folks at ACS, they want me to find a forever home as well.

J and K: Do your friends in the shelter say you’ve changed?

P: Someone—probably a cat—mentioned that my head looks bigger, but I don’t know what that means. All of my shelter buddies, the cats and dogs, look at me longingly as I leave for the theater and say to me to bring people back here for adoption.

Pumpkin and her friends are hanging on till tomorrow. For some of them, tomorrow won’t come. To adopt Pumpkin or any of the cast of characters at the shelter, click here or visit them at 7700 East Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90808. Every extra dreams of being a star.

Annie tickets may be purchased online at musical.org, by phone at 562-856-1999, ext. 4, or in person at the MTW box office, 4350 E. 7th St., Long Beach, from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. through Nov. 14. MTW performs at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach, CA 90815.

Virtually Pets
Here are some of the hopefuls at ACS:

Toby

Ah, Toby, or not Toby? That is the question the new owner of this male white 3-year-old standard poodle will be asking when deciding whether to keep his kennel name or think of a new one. Hamlet, perhaps? Ask for ID#A415830.

Batgirl
Talk about typecasting. This female brown tabby domestic shorthair is about 4 months old. By the time she’s reached a year, she’ll be ready for the remake of Dumbo. Ask for ID#A417519.

And here’s one more…

Blondie
Blondie’s story is another near-tragedy brought on by thoughtlessness and cruelty. The poor girl had most likely been living outdoors her entire life. She was hiding out in a trailer park subject to cruelty from humans and with, as her rescuer put it, fleas crawling over her as if they owned her body. Blondie was exhausted and afraid of her own shadow, but her rescuers were undaunted. They won her over by talking to her for hours, giving her treats and finally bringing her to Hearts for Hounds, where she was spayed and vaccinated and the fleas were served an eviction notice. Blondie is about 1 ½ years old and appears to be an Akita/shepherd mix. To take her home, contact Hearts for Hounds at (562) 597-7137, and type Blondie in the subject line. Her medical has been costly—donations are more than welcome.

Pet Projects

ACS provides low-cost pet clinics
Low-cost pet clinics are scheduled for the second Saturday and third Wednesday of every month in Long Beach to provide residents with a one-stop shop for vaccination, microchipping and licensing services. More information about upcoming pet clinics is available here.

Spay/neuter California vehicle license plates
Order your new specialty plates from CASpayPlate.com. All proceeds will go toward facilitating low-cost spay/neuter at state shelters.

Volunteer Dog Stars needed for Belmont Shore Christmas Parade
Cover Me Green Roofing (formerly Recover Roofing) is sponsoring Hearts for Hounds in the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade again this year. This year’s float theme is “Twinkle with the Stars,” and volunteers are needed to march in the parade and ride on the float with their dogs. All participants must wear their own “movie star” costumes. Specially designed “star” attire for the dogs is available, so float reps need to hear from all who wish to attend ASAP! Please call (562) 755-7926 or e-mail moodswingsev@aol.com before Nov. 1 if you wish to attend.

Animal Care Exploring Post youth volunteer call, Nov. 9
Youth between the ages of 15 and 19 who are interested in a career involving law enforcement and animals are invited to attend the orientation kickoff meeting of the Animal Care Exploring Post on Nov. 9 from 7:00-8:00pm at the Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring Street, Conference Room 3, Long Beach. The program, which meets monthly, is open to qualified young people who wish to serve the public and make the community safer for people and animals. The program is designed to provide interested young people exposure to careers in public safety and the humane treatment of animals, with opportunities to grow personally and professional through a program of community service in a climate emphasizing leadership and responsibility. Students of Long Beach Unified School District will receive service-hours credit. Requirements are as follows:

• Be at least 15 and not yet 19 years old by start of the academy.
• Have a clean police record and good citizenship record.
• Maintain at least a grade average of C at school.
• Be physically fit, with plenty of stamina and courage.
• Be willing to devote necessary time to meetings emergencies.

The Post is supervised by professional animal control officers and veterinary professionals from the City of Long Beach, and includes classes in animal handling, veterinary care, herd health care, rabies control, law enforcement, wildlife management, and special investigations. Explorers will be trained in the procedures of handling animal-related situations related to public health and safety and briefly explore the many phases of the law enforcement, animal care, and public health service professions. Click here for more information.

VPI K9K Pet Cancer Awareness Walk, Nov. 14
For the third consecutive year, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) is leading the charge in raising awareness of the nation’s number-one disease-related killer of dogs and cats. Join in on a fun-filled 3K (1.8 miles) walk for both people and their pets along a picturesque trail through the Rainbow Harbor boardwalk and Shoreline Village Lighthouse peninsula area in Downtown Long Beach, California. $25 before Nov. 1, $30 after. Registration fees benefit the nonprofit Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF). Click here for details.