Broadway Tails: Heartfelt Stories of Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars

In 2011, William Berloni received the Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater, the first ever given to an animal trainer. Berloni began his animal training career in 1976 by rescuing a dog from an animal shelter. That dog was the original Sandy in the Broadway musical, Annie, who performed for seven years - the longest for any animal in Broadway history! Sandy was the first animal to play a major character in theater whose actions influenced the outcome of the story. Before that, no-one had been able to train an animal in that capacity for live theater. That breakthrough ultimately led to Mr. Berloni's "star-stuuded" career and continued success as Broadway's premier animal trainer. Since that time, he and his trainers have provided animals for hundreds of films, commercials, television shows and printwork as well as live theater all over North America. When not working, his animals live in humane, loving conditions and while on set, they are handled by caring, professional people who are highly skilled in animal behavior. Regarded as an expert in canine behavior, Mr. Berloni has a BFA in theater and has written Doga (Chronicle Books, 2003). He lives in Middlesex county, Connecticut with his wife Dorothy.

 

Jim Hanrahan is a writer and Berloni's brother-in law