How Tony winner Bill Berloni turns rescue dogs into stars of stage​

On a sprawling farm in Connecticut, Bill Berloni has spent nearly five decades turning rescue dogs into stars of stage and screen. The Tony Award-winning animal trainer has worked with between 200-300 dogs since 1976, all of them rescued from shelters.

“Someone told me they had cheap dogs at the animal shelter and I went looking one day,” Berloni recalls of his first theatrical dog training experience. “I found this little dog who was gonna be put to sleep the next day, adopted him and that was the original production of “Annie” and that was the original Sandy.”

That chance beginning launched a remarkable career. Berloni became the first trainer to feature a dog in a major role on Broadway, and remains the only animal trainer to receive a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater.

His current roster of performers includes Bowdie, who starred as Nana in “Peter Pan Live,” and Myrtle, who plays Charlotte York’s dog in “And Just Like That …” One of his newest stars, Tana June, was rescued just four months before landing a role alongside six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald in Broadway’s “Gypsy.”

“These are the original method actors because you’re on stage and they’re in the moment,” Berloni said.

The trainer and his team prepare the dogs extensively for live theater’s unpredictable environment. 

“We prepare them by taking them to shows ahead of time. We desensitize them to the things they’re gonna be in touch with,” he explains.

For Berloni, working exclusively with rescue animals is a moral imperative. 

“My answer is why not? And as a result, two to 300 animals have lived wonderful lives who might not have been alive,” he says.

When their performing days are over, all of Berloni’s dogs retire to his farm. 

“The thought of adopting a dog, exploiting it for money and then getting rid of it just didn’t make any sense to me,” he explains.

Looking back on his unexpected career path, Berloni said, “I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”