Cesar Millan, the canine behaviorist known as the Dog Whisperer, is being investigated for possible animal cruelty after the Los Angeles County Animal Control received a complaint on Thursday against his Santa Clarita dog psychology center. An “anonymous citizen” called about, according to TMZ, an incident on Cesar’s Nat Geo WILD series Cesar 911 in which a dog was shown “attacking and injuring a pig during a training session.”
Millan hasn’t publicly commented about the accusation, but a spokesperson from Nat Geo WILD released the following statement:
“Cesar Millan has dedicated his life to helping dogs and to showing how even the most difficult “problem dog” can be rescued and rehabilitated. In a recent episode of the Nat Geo WILD series Cesar 911, Cesar works with an aggressive French bulldog/terrier mix named Simon, who has a history of attacking other animals, including his owner’s pet potbellied pigs. A short clip from the episode was shared online and showed Simon chasing a pig and nipping its ear, causing the ear to bleed. The clip caused some concern for viewers who did not see or understand the full context of the encounter.
Cesar has created a safe and controlled environment at his Dog Psychology Center (DPC) in California in which to rehabilitate some of the most extreme — or “red zone” — cases of dog aggression, such as Simon’s. It is important to clarify that Cesar took precautions, such as putting Simon on a long lead to assess his behavior, before making initial corrections and removing the leash. The pig that was nipped by Simon was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress… Cesar and his animal pack effectively helped Simon to overcome his aggressive behavior toward other animals; as a result, Simon did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanized.” (Via The Wrap)
No llamas went rogue in the making of this post. We’ll update with more information as it becomes available.