Looking for Toto

Auditions have been taking place this week for Toto – a canine star to play Dorothy’s loyal companion in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of The Wizard of Oz.

Full of expectation, along we trotted to Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire with our 2 year-old Border terrier, Bertie freshly washed and groomed, to join about 400 other hopefuls of all shapes, breeds and sizes. Every sort from a small one-year-old Bichon Frise to larger types like Border Collies, Poodles, Spaniels and all manner of terriers, including several Borders.

In the 1939 movie version staring Judy Garland, a black Cairn Terrier called Terry played the part of Toto and along side us in the queue a girl studying at Bath University had high hopes for her own well trained black Cairn, the image of the original Toto. Behind us were two girls from Manchester with a black and white Schnauzer called Dangerous Dave. The competition was indeed fierce with all sorts of likely Totos. With such rivalry the tension got to many of the contestants sparking lots of rows including a series of fisticuffs between Bertie and Dave.

Contestants were split into groups and then put through their paces walking on a lead around a ring with the other dogs in their group. Owners were asked to show any tricks their dog could do. By the time we were called the judges, who included Jodie Prenger who stared as Nancy in Lloyd Webber’s production of Oliver, decided to call in three groups at a time. The poor student from Bath with the Cairn wasn’t even interviewed or given the chance to show the tricks she had trained her dog to do. Lyndia, who was handling Bertie, was only able to exchange a couple of words with the judges and Bertie was ignored.

Our hopes were dashed when the judges announced Dangerous Dave had been chosen to go through to the next round. Bert was spitting chips.

Maybe it was a blessing that we failed to get into the last 40 as we would have been required to turn up the following day and, frankly, by the end of the first morning I was getting bored and tired of waiting amongst a pack of yapping, snarling, barking dogs.

The judges will have by now made a short list of ten who will appear on Saturday’s BBC1 talent show, Over the Rainbow which is selecting the girl to play Dorothy in the Lloyd Webber production.

You may have worked out that we are still in England but we will be returning to the Dordogne before the end of April.