Pets of Broadway aims to highlight Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional productions while inspiring audiences through positive tales of pet owners in the business. We’ll be sharing the brand’s stories every other Thursday, so check back to read more about your favorite actors and actresses and their amazing animals!
She’s truly a breakup dog. I’m obsessed with dogs and have been waiting my whole life to have my very own. I had a sad breakup and my friend Natalie who does hair for our show was going to adopt a puppy through Muddy Paws Rescue so I went with her. I had also been looking on Muddy Paws Instagram at this dog named Cherry (because she had a cherry eye and I thought ‘how rude to remind her of her ailment.’ If she had a bad leg would they call her limpy)? I put an application in, but really didn’t think I’d adopt that quickly. I just wanted to meet her. So I met Esther, formally known as Cherry, and the moment I saw her I started bawling and then I took her home. We got home and I had nothing. I didn’t even have a treat for her, so we went to Petco and got all her stuff.
I got her totally on a whim. My dad suggested I wait until the Fall so I could be really ready and I said ‘oh well, too late. Got her!’ She was four months old and now she’s six months. We’re kindred spirits. She really understands me. She’s just the best. She’s so smart and so sweet and loves everybody.
Esther is the name of my first cat when I was little who I was actually deathly allergic to but this Esther has an old face so I thought it was a good name for her. My dog at home, her name is Harriet so I just went with the old lady names. They have not met. Harriett would bite her head off. She’s not well. She’s an angry dog.
Esther was rescued from Bowling Green Kentucky, ‘you’re welcome for bringing you to the city,’ and it was a whole litter I think. I was a little nervous because I didn’t ask a lot of questions so she could have traumas. I don’t think anything terrible happened to her though, thank God because I would have to go find those people and really give them a piece of my mind.
When I first got her, she pooped and peed on literally everything but now I’ve successfully potty trained her and I’m very proud of myself. My roommate was really stoked about getting a dog too so he’s been great about it. She didn’t really chew anything up. When she was teething she mostly just chewed on me. One time though she jumped up on my bed of freshly washed linens and just peed while looking me in the eye.
My friend Hannah whose a great dog trainer has been helping me train her. My dad was here a month and a half ago and he took her for a walk and was like ‘what do I do with this thing?’ She would spin in a circle and sit on the ground and I had to drag her. She’s great on a leash now. She’s so smart. She learned her name really fast and learned to sit really fast.
I was really excited about adopting a dog because I’m adopted too! ADOPTING IS THE SHIT! If we spoke the same language, I would tell her ‘you literally saved my life.’ I had a shitty year and wasn’t in a great place…she’s helped a lot. I would honestly just sing the Golden Girls theme song to her. I think she would tell me ‘let me eat my own poop.’ She really wants to eat her own poop all the time and I always stop her and she gets really mad. She’d be like ‘just let me do it. Why are you doing this to me? Let me eat my own poop, it’s delicious.’ It’s sick.
See Olivia Puckett in Dear Evan Hansen at the Music Box Theatre.
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