It's a caveat of the entertainers' trade. Rejection at casting can be a method of instinct and whim, with hints of arbitrary or ruthless sizing up.

Too thin, too tall. No joie de vivre.

But auditions on Saturday held the bar at a slightly different standard.

Not wetting the rug in front a crowd: A plus. And restraint from sniffing cast members' rears went a long way.

"We have to have an animal that's complacent and friendly and can follow simple commands," said Trigger Weddle, choreographer for the Christian Youth Theater-North Idaho's production of 'Annie,' before auditions for Sandy the stray. "And we need one that will put up with all the noise."

And it goes without saying: "It's about the color," said Director Brook Bassett, noting that a dog with streaked or blond hue would fit the name.

"(Sandy) is an important character. A lot of people associate it with the show."

And a lot of people thought their pooches would fit the bill.

More than a dozen owners showed up tugging along their potential stars to the auditions for Sandy, orphan Annie's dog, at the Christ the King Lutheran Church.

The whining, squirming auditioners ranged from squat and gray to long and golden, purebreds to mixes.

"Smells like dog," muttered Julie DuPuis with CYT as the owners sat their dogs in a line before the stage. "People have been calling up, 'I have the perfect dog, I'm going to bring him.' And I guess they did."

Each owner had a story about how their pup was the best with people ever, could sit on command, had a glimmer of star potential that, like the animal itself, had never been unleashed.

"I've been calling her Sandy all week. Her ears will go up and she'll look around and I'm like, 'No, that's you!'" said Coeur d'Alene resident Diana Raess with a laugh, standing over Miss Daisy, a blue heeler/Australian shepherd mix. "She doesn't look like a Sandy. But I just wanted to see how she'd do. She's so good with kids."

Joanne and Bert Thorne of Hayden brought all four of their quadrupeds, including German shepherd Mannie and terriers Georgia, Grissom and Butters.

"We thought Georgia would be most appropriate, but I thought, hey, we're a family, let's all go down," Joanne said, Bert sitting complacently with leashes in hand. "Butters is a trembler and loves to be held, so we thought she might be better for a wealthy-looking character to hold."

Patience, or at least deafness, was definitely a requisite for the dog chosen to play Annie's sidekick. Ninety have been cast in the show, and at the first rehearsal on Saturday a horde of girls were squealing, screaming, tumbling and flipping through the church gym as they rehearsed.

Many of the kids huddled at the edge of the stage afterward to watch Kiara Klinkefus, playing Annie, call each dog and test its response to commands.

Results were mixed. Some pooches wouldn't leave the wings as Klinkefus squatted, patted her legs and gushed, "Sandy!"

Some bolted off the stage, or zigzagged to sniff every actor except the one calling it.

Murphy, a happy glen of imaal terrier that wobbled up and down the stage, couldn't decide where to go.

It wasn't Murphy's fault, said his owner Bill Brooks.

"The little girl wasn't very commanding," he noted. "She made it sing-songey."

Dan Paschall's golden retriever Molly raced across the stage ecstatic to greet everyone. Paschall hadn't expected an Oscar performance, he acknowledged, but it was Molly's birthday, and she deserved some adventure.

He was beaming after kids in the cast gathered to sing Molly "Happy Birthday."

"She just loves people. I've never seen a dog that loves people this much," he said, adding that she travels everywhere with him. "This dog means everything to me."

As is the case for all the good roles, only one stood above all the rest.

Gus the fuzzy gray whoodle - wheaten terrier/poodle - was docile as he stood with the actress, looking nonplussed by the stage lights and the cooing audience.

"He's extremely well trained," Bassett said. "And I like how he's nice and big. We saw a lot of smaller dogs, and on stage they're kind of lost in all that."

Owners Bill and Mary Ann Welsh assured that Gus could take the demands of showbiz, even standing by Klinkefus while she belts "Tomorrow."

"He'll be fine," Bill said.

He had known Gus' superior training would set him on top, he added.

"It's kind of exciting. It's a first for us," Bill said with a smile.

Some other dogs will also be cast as extras, Bassett said.

"Annie" is scheduled for 12 performances at the Kroc Center from Feb. 24-March 4.

Executive Director Bliss Lanier was still reeling afterward. This had been twice the dogs expected, she said.

"When we did the 'Wizard of Oz,' only five auditioned for Toto," she said. "But then, I guess the look of Toto is more specific."