Saundra Santiago (Carmen) recalls how her beloved belated pooch Prince charmed the socks off Johnny Carson
In the 17 years that they were together, Saundra Santiago (Carmen) made a lifetime of memories with her beloved Shih Tzu, Prince. "He was the sweetest little dog," Santiago smiles of her pooch, whom she had to put to sleep in 2000. "I’d had him since he was a puppy. And he’d been through all my boyfriends, my husband. He’d seen them all come and go."
For a while, Prince was even a budding star in his own right. "He did a commercial," Santiago boasts. "I took him to a trainer, who thought that Prince was the best thing & he was very responsive to everything. But then I didn’t keep up with his career because I was too busy working on mine!"
Heeeere’s Johnny!
During the height of the actress’ MIAMI VICE heyday, little Prince was just a pup – a very rambunctious pup. "My dog was such a mental case when he was a puppy that I talked about him when I was a guest on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Johnny Carson," Santiago laughs. "So the next time I was on, Johnny asked me to bring Prince with me!"
The late-night king, however, ended up getting more than he bargained for. "Prince and I flew from Miami to LAX. Usually, you’re supposed to give the animal a tranquilizer, but I thought Prince was trained enough to travel in his kennel without pills," Santiago sighs. "When we landed in Los Angeles and the kennel came out, there was blood everywhere! I thought I was going to faint. Prince had fought so hard to get out that his paws were bleeding. And he was tired and weak from trying to get out."
"He Did Absolutely Nothing!"
The publicity department for Carson’s camp, Santiago remembers, wasn’t exactly sympathetic to Prince’s plight, either. "They didn’t even feel sorry for the dog!" she huffs. "They were more concerned with getting Prince on the show. They were yelling, ‘That dog’s got to be on in three hours!’"
After a trip to a veterinarian and a groomer, the publicity department returned Prince to his mistress. "The dog came back to me spotless, but he was listless," Santiago sighs. "So now I had to go on with the dog, with the intent to show all the tricks Prince learned in training school. And he did absolutely nothing!"
But, like everything else, this tale has a silver lining. "Ironically, a terrible beginning turned into a not-so-bad thing," the actress points out. "The dog lived through his trauma, and Johnny had a good time with the whole situation. Oh, and on top of everything else, I was such a nervous wreck that I drank almost an entire bottle of wine before I went on! I was so giggly, and Johnny loved it!" & Michelle Ann Moro
Saundra Santiago
