Ten-year-old cairn terrier Daisy, shown with owner Debbie Grinton, won the role of Toto in the Aiken Kidney Benefit Inc. production of The Wizard of Oz, set for October. ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

Toto, in fact, was one of four that made the final cut for his namesake's role in the upcoming Aiken Kidney Benefit Inc. production of The Wizard of Oz.

Oz gave it a go, but suffered a small case of stage fright.

''Everybody behaved. Everybody did great,'' talent judge Sha Tice said as she prefaced the announcement of the winner Sunday afternoon, ''but Daisy looks the most like Toto.''

Debbie Grinton beamed at her 10-year-old gray cairn terrier a leash-length away from where she sat in the shade.

''A cairn was the type of dog Toto was,'' she said.

Even though the competition at Powderhouse Kennels took place on one of the last dog days of summer, flop sweat didn't show on the brows of the nine Yorkies, Westies, cairns and Jack Russells that turned out.

They trotted through hoops, jumped over candy-cane striped hurdles and sat patiently - for the most part - in a wooden picnic basket.

The perspiration throughout the competition was more evident on the humans.

Jack Russell terrier siblings Scooter and Cricket, owned by Sean Daly, weren't a bit timid. They visited each of the children who were cast to be residents of Munchkin Land.

Scooter hopped without a thought into a tub of water to cool off.

A number of the dogs mugged for those with cameras.

Ms. Tice, an obedience trainer, and Wanda Gipp, an agility trainer, deliberated about 10 minutes with play organizers before Daisy was selected.

Shawn, owned by Heather Ann Pajerski, was picked as the ''understudy.''

In the role of Toto, Daisy will be on stage at the beginning and end of the production.

Some of the challenges of the role will be working with strangers - including 16-year-old Lauren Maxwell, who was cast as Dorothy - keeping calm during audience reaction and eating a hot dog on cue.

The benefit production of The Wizard of Oz will run Oct. 26-28 at the Etherredge Center, located on the University of South Carolina Aiken campus.

Reach Eric Williamson at (803) 648-1395 or eric@augusta.com.