King of the Dog Park! Newsies Star Corey Cott Unleashes His New Puppy, Theo

Broadway stars greet dozens of admirers daily at the stage door, but sometimes their biggest fans are waiting at home: their dogs! In honor of the annual Broadway Barks dog and cat adoption event (on July 13 in Shubert Alley), we reached out to some of our favorite pet-owning performers and asked them to spill about their loyal four-legged friends. Today, Newsies’ star Corey Cott reveals stories about Theo, the adorable pup he shares with his wife Meghan. Hear all about Theo’s unusual sleeping spot and why October will be a big month of change for the Cott family.

COREY COTT (Jack Kelly in Newsies)

What is your pet's name and breed?
Theo Cott. Shih Tzu.

How did your pet get its name?
My wife and some of her friends were brainstorming names, and someone said, "Let's think of some old-timey names—famous people of the early 1900s." Someone said Theodore Roosevelt, then someone else said Theo, and the rest is history.

What is your pet's favorite pastime?
Putting my wife's arm or my arm completely 100% in his mouth and just gnawing for hours. It's the cutest thing because his teeth are still coming in so it doesn't hurt. Come October, we probably won't have arms.

Does your pet know any tricks?
He does! He knows "sit" and "high five." He stands on his hind legs and puts his paws into our hands. (For some reason he only does it if we have a treat in our hands.)

What's the funniest thing your pet has done?
We bought him a beautiful puppy bed that has a padded bottom to it. During the day he plays in it and treats it like his bed, but come nighttime, he literally climbs underneath our bed and sleeps there all night! It's so funny. We will have no idea where he is, then he'll suddenly pop out from the bed.

What's the naughtiest thing your pet has done?
He had a terrible accident in his crate during his first week in our apartment at 3:30 AM. Then he got out of his crate and trampled it all over the house. So we had to give him a bath and a clean our apartment for two hours…in the middle of the night. And the next day was a two-show day. It was kind of a mess.

Do you look like your pet?
I am consistently finding more gray hairs in my head every day, so....come October...yes. I will be a full-fledged Theo.