RENO, Nev. — This summer’s Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has produced an unlikely star: a deaf pit bull named Michael who narrowly escaped euthanasia.
The 6-year-old American Staffordshire terrier has turned out to be a hoot in his role as Crab the dog in the Bard’s comedy, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” festival organizers and audience members said.
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What are the odds they would pick a pit bull?” Okashima told The Associated Press. “All the time they face rejection in our society. I was shocked he got the part. I really appreciate the fact they gave him a shot.”
Michael has posed no problem other than the time he jumped offstage in dress rehearsal because a woman smuggled a Shih Tzu in her purse inside the theater, she added.
Michael also is a registered therapy dog who visits hospitals, schools and veteran’s homes. He also has been used to raise money for cancer research.