Bill Berloni–renowned for training rescue animals for stage, film, and television in a storied career spanning 50 years—recounts how, as a teenage aspiring theater kid in Connecticut, he was given the opportunity to prepare the dog as the Goodspeed Opera House there launched a then-new musical, “Annie.” 
Berloni had zero experience training animals, but went to the Connecticut Humane Society, adopted
a dog that was slated to be euthanized the next day, and did his best figuring out how to ready the pooch for his stage debut That production didn’t go great, yet no less a figure than Mike Nichols took it over, moving “Annie” to Broadway, Berloni and the dog moved with it, the show became a huge hit—and Berloni’s career as an animal trainer extraordinaire was born. Five decades later, Berloni addresses the animal training challenges unique to the theater as compared with movies and television. As part of that exchange, and perhaps counterintuitively, he notes that a dog who’s learned the role for a play has an easier time than a film hound because the patterns (and the delivery of treats) remain the same from performance to performance, even over a long run. We touched on understudies: every animal in every Broadway play or musical has an understudy, and shows periodically rehearse—enabling understudies, animal and human, to remain sharp in their command of their production. We also discussed “Broadway Barks,” the venerable event (the 28th edition, hosted by Bernadette Peters 
and Andrew Rannells had taken place a few days before this interview), featuring adoptable
animals from New York City area rescue groups, along with Broadway’s biggest names, who use their star power to help the animals find homes. Berloni explained the history of “Broadway Barks”—he’s been involved since the inception—and how the rescue groups set-up tents and tables in the area adjacent to Times Square, known as Shubert Alley, where stars of Broadway shows introduce the adoptable animals (cats, too, now). Berloni mentions writing an autobiography, “Broadway Tales: Heartfelt Stories OF Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars,” that he’s continued to expand as his career has continued to unspool toward the 50 year mark. Fittingly, he’s found a new Sandy for the 50th anniversary production of “Annie.” Which may bring us full circle on the Bill Berloni saga. (https://theatricalanimals.com/, https://broadwaycares.org/pre-event/broadway-barks-2026/)
ALSO: I spoke with Patrick Kelly, the General Manager–and one of the owners–of Barks and Brews Taphouse, a dog bar/dog park combo in Largo, spanning 7000 square feet, indoors and out. This sprawling venue enables the canine contingent to run, and meet-and-greet, and play—off-leash—while their humans can sample a huge selection of craft beers and wines, maybe munch on something from their menu of snacks, sandwiches, and burgers. Kelly recounted how he and two buddies were struck by the idea of a dog bar—being fans of dogs and beers—and after research and legwork, found the location in Peach Plaza, and opened for business in November of 2024. He outlined the steps necessary to bring your dog to Barks and Brews—basically, documenting key vaccinations, noting they have an app that simplifies that process. Kelly described some of the establishment’s weekly activities and special events, including their first Bark’s Luau, slated for July 25. (https://barkstaphouse.com/)
COMEDY CORNER: Robert Mac’s “National Zoo” (https://robertmac.com/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.
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