Cesar Millan, famous for rehabilitating troubling dogs, is under investigation for animal cruelty after several complaints were made online based on a footage from Millan’s television show, “Cesar 911”.
On the published clip, there was a troubling French bulldog-terrier mix named Simon that chased a pot-bellied pig and nipped its ear, making it bleed. The footage made activists outrage and a petition for taking Millan’s show off the air recollected by Friday morning near 10,000 signatures, as reported by ABC News.
The anti-cruelty complaint, which sent authorities to investigate to Millan’s rehabilitation center in California, has been blown way out of proportion, the celebrity said on Friday. Authorities issued a 24-hour notice that requires the dog trainer to contact the investigators, due to the celebrity was not found in their visit.
Millan said that the technique he used, and have been using for a long time, has helped aggressive canines hundreds of times. The training involves getting the dog together with the animal it does not like, which was the pig this time, so the two can learn to get along.
After the incident, a new clip was released where the pig appeared calm and tied to Simon with a long leash as if taking him for a walk. The pig, was tended to immediately, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress after the dog’s bite, said Chad Sandhas, senior director of talent and media relations for National Geographic Channels.
“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,” Sandhas added.
Dominance theory
The technique applied by the Dog’s Whisper is called the “dominance theory”, which is derived from an understanding of how wolves compete to be the “alphas” within their packs, according to the Washington Post.
Millan, who is a self-taught trainer, believes that dogs that display aggression are attempting to gain dominance over their owners, and the humans in their lives should establish themselves as the “alphas” to dominate the animal, using force if necessary.
Source: ABC News