Bill Berloni takes dogs from shelters to stardom

How does a person become one of the most successful animal trainers in the world of entertainment? For Bill Berloni it was the old story of being in the right place at the right time with the right attitude.

In the mid 1970’s when he was 19, he was a college student and aspiring actor working as a summer theatre carpenter while waiting to continue studying acting in the fall. Because he was known as an animal lover, he was promised a small acting role in the premiere musical Annie if he could find and train a dog to play Sandy.

Since there was no money to pay for a dog, Berloni went to a shelter where he found a sad looking, mixed breed dog on death row. He paid the $7 shelter fee and turned a death row dog into a Broadway star.

From that time on he abandoned his own acting ambitions and never looked back. For over thirty years he has been training animals for stage, movies and commercials.

After Sandy retired from acting, Berloni kept him as a pet in his Connecticut house where he and his family live with twenty-one dogs, eight working and thirteen retired, three horses, two llamas, a donkey and a pony.

Ever since his first experience finding the sad eyed, unwanted Sandy, he has always worked with shelter or rescue dogs.

One of his most famous dogs is Chico, an eight pound Chihuahua mix who created the role of Bruiser in Legally Blonde, the Musical. Chico had been turned over to the humane society when his owners discovered that their grandkids had allergies.

Chosen for his fearlessness and his big bark, Chico had an understudy, his own dressing room, a special diet, and an attentive maid butler handler.

In working with animals for the stage, Berloni trains the actor to function as the dog trainer on stage since he is many feet away in the wings during the performance. To the performing dogs, the cast is their family.

As far as his training philosophy, he tries to put himself into the dog’s position. “What would make this fun for the dog? And then we do that.”

Besides dogs, Berloni has also trained pigs, rats, lambs and cats. Well, he didn't exactly train cats. Cats are independent hunters who pretty much don’t listen to anyone else.

For that reason he says, “I trick cats. I trick them into thinking that what I want them to do is what they really want to do.”

Comments

[Lynne]

Great article. Where do you find this stuff? I rely on you.

[Jan]

Thanks, Lynne, I do a lot of research, but I enjoy myself thoroughly because I get to choose the subject instead of a publisher or editor.

[Dennis the Vizsla]

I saw a program about this guy on television. Quite a story. What a great way to make a living!

[cube]

Wonderful story. Wonderful life. I'm jealous.

[jackie]

wonder if he'd like to come over and trick dexter into thinking he doesn't want to slam the cubbard under the bathroom sink all fucking night long.yea...ALLL FUCKING NIGHT LONG..

[Denny]

Yet another terrific story, Jan! This is the best blog I've ever seen.

[Nursing PJs]

Wow!! What a cute little dog!! hmm its so cute i really want to have one like that!!