You rescue a young lady named Trixie from a terrible living situation, catapult to stardom, and win the hearts of adoring fans from all over the country. It sounds like the plot for an inspiring movie or a smash Broadway hit, but, to the delight of dreamers and dog lovers everywhere, it’s not only real, it’s a rescue rags-to-riches tail! In fact, many of your favorite dogs from stage and screen (Sandy V that Ianyone?) are well suited to a life in entertainment because Shelter’s humble beginnings.
When we’re looking for performing dogs, we’re looking for friendly people who handle stress well. Unfortunately, the animal shelter has become an environment with a lot of stress, says Bill Berloni, animal trainer for play and theater.
Trixie currently stars alongside some very talented human beings Bullet on BroadwayBut before his big break, the sweet Pomeranian was the victim of a hoarding case in South Carolina. Eventually, the mysterious laird of fate stepped in and led Berloni to a shelter in Armonk, New York while he searched for Mr. Woofless—a lady’s dog with gender identity issues and a host of neuroses.
“Mr. is depressed with fears, so we needed a dog who couldn’t do anything. Could stay, be quiet in a moving cart, run backstage. When I met Trixie at the shelter, that’s exactly what I did,” Berloni said, referring to Her cheerful and relaxed demeanor snuggled up on a sofa in the BarkBox office.
bathroom. Fields, he famously said, “Never work with children or animals.” But Berloni insists that pups’ performances as Trixie make the actors step up their game:
“Animals don’t act. With actors, we suspend disbelief. Actors don’t actually want to kill each other or they don’t really love their love on stage. But with dogs, it’s all real to them, so he reminds the actors that they really have to be in it.” This moment. They can’t be lazy with a command or rub a line or a cliff into the flanks because the dog will appear before them!”
But before you think that a diva-dog’s life is all work and not play, just know that there’s plenty of time for blocking and processing (pooch’s favorite payment method!).
Berloni explained: “Dogs are social and they enjoy that aspect of working on the show. All the actors say hello to her before the show starts because if you don’t interact with them until the scene she’s in, he’ll just be happy to squirm like ‘Oh, I’m so glad to see you again’ so -You see Aunt Karen [زيمبا] and Helen [يورك]. They all have pre-show rituals with her. Zack laughs [براف] It’s always with her: “Why did we have to get a dog like that?!” And he kissed his head before he went on. ”
Berloni has been committed to the use of rescue animals since he trained Sandy’s very first for the original productions that I. The producer gave the young actor a shot at him — a chance to perform professionally and earn his fairness card if he could train Sandy, and in exchange, Bill gave a dog at a local shelter a shot at a new life. The rest, as they say, is history.
The original Bill Berloni & Sandy via Coastal Canin
In his 40 years of animal training, Berloni has seen a lot of changes in the industry. He’s glad people are embracing positive augmentation training (which he’s always advocated for) and is even glad the spread of CGI on both the big and small screen, even if it means the use of live animals is diminished in entertainment as a whole.
“I’ve been doing this since the ’70s, so when CGI started being used in the ’80s, it definitely hurt the business. But, I will say it was great for the humane treatment of animals. For example, if a shot needed a dog traipsing down a mountain on a sled, you could put Dog on the sled in front of a green screen instead of finding a way to get it done in real life which could be dangerous.”
But what hasn’t changed in all those years is Berloni’s commitment to using rescues as his stars. In fact, when the animals “retire” from the limelight, they live with Bill and his family on their farm. It goes without saying that Berloni owns the mistress, but for him, saving an animal is an obligation for the sake of death.
Bill Berloni with Marty, the rescuer who plays Sandy in the next version of the movie that I
“Why shelter animals? Why not?! These are great dogs. They were great before I trained them. Anyone could have come to the shelter and adopted Trixie before I found her,” Berloni said.
His dedication to saving animals is touching, as is his desire to shout from the rooftops that anyone can find the pup as one of the stars in his group of 26 dogs ready to perform. The key, he says, is knowing what to look for in a shelter.
Just as Berloni knew that the beautiful, loving, and intelligent Pomeranian he met at the New York sanctuary was a perfect fit for the role of Mr. Wules, he stresses that people should keep their training experiences and lifestyle needs in mind when looking for a new member for their pack.
“With shelter animals, what you see is what you get. Most people don’t put in the time or have the skills to witness a big change. If you want a quiet dog that doesn’t bark too much, don’t be fooled into thinking that the dog that runs up to your barking is saying, ‘Adopt me, adopt me! “Choose the calm dog, even in the stress of that situation. It’s a great reason to adopt big dogs, too. Everyone always wants a puppy, but they’re as unpredictable as their personality development is.”
Trixie and Pal Romeo’s Pal Bullet on Broadway Premiere via broadwayworld.com
Berloni, who also found time to serve as the Humane Society’s Director of Animal Behavior and Training in New York, says the “come-and-so” approach extends to shelters. Rather than trying to make dogs appear more adoptable by training them to come to their barn door or to look potential adopters in the eye, he suggests relieving the stress of the situation through socialization or bringing the dogs to meet potential dog owners. parents on a one-on-one basis.
While misconceptions about shelter dogs can range from the misconception that you will never be able to find a purebred dog to the fear that all dogs will be older, perhaps the biggest one that needs clearing up is that these dogs are “bad” dogs or untrainable. Obviously, shelter dogs deserve to take center stage!
You can catch Trixie in her star role as Mr. Woofles Bullet on Broadway At St. James Theatre!
Featured image via santaclaritaanimals
