How has your show impacted dog behavior awareness?
I hope that it has helped people un-
Did you receive any formal educa- tion to train with dogs? My formal training has been to work
with literally thousands of dogs. I have read many books on the subject because I believe it is important to be as educat- ed about your passion as you can be. I listen to every perspective and point of view; every system of belief about dog behavior can have something im- portant to contribute. My methods are based on my own observations from a lifetime spent around dogs, and from information I’ve learned from the texts I have read on the subject. I model many of my communications on the behaviors of canine mothers and pack leaders in natural packs. Do you have a theory on pet psy-
chology? My grandfather was my true mentor.
He taught me one of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned, and still rely on to this day: Never work against Mother Nature; always work WITH her. Dog psychology is obviously different from human psychology. Dog psychol- ogy is about instinct, and instinct cre- ates behavior. You might think a dog psychologist would be like a human psychologist; that they would sit a dog on a couch and ask it about its feelings. But dog psychology is about observing the nature of the dog and understand- ing how its environment and the actions and energies of the other animals in that environment affect it. What motivated you to turn your love of animals into a business? It happened organically, but I be-
came a dad and a husband, so I needed to work. It never felt like work though.
64 HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE
It was a passion and to this day, I con- sider my work a guilty pleasure be- cause I enjoy it so much. Did you ever intend to become this
famous? No. But I did say that I wanted to be
the best dog trainer in the world. When you come from humble backgrounds, you always want to be something ex- traordinary, and make a positive im- pact. As a Mexican-American, what kind
of discrimination did you encounter as you entered the business world? How did you overcome it? I’ve been blessed with a career that
was chosen for me because when peo- ple see me with a pack of dogs, they are intrigued and don’t see my race any more. They see the talent and the gift God has given me. What have been your biggest ob- stacles in your business? Obstacles are learning experiences,
so I don’t see them negatively. I enjoy them! Challenge is growth and I em- brace them. My mentality is that no matter what, you keep going – it’s 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you choose to respond it. What led you to do the show Dog
Whisperer with Cesar Millan? People were writing to me from all
over the country and the world and in those days, I’d been asking my good friend, Jada Pinkett Smith, about tele- vision. One day, the LA Times inter- viewed me and asked what I’d like to do next. I said “TV.” The article ran on a Sunday and by Monday, I had a line of producers inquiring. It’s the power of intention and the law of attraction.
Celebrating 18 Years of Diversity
derstand that problem behaviors are directly related to the human. I think more and more people are joining this movement towards owning the men- tality of pack leadership, and under- standing that they need to see the dog as an animal first, then species, then breed, and finally name. It’s also about the awareness of fulfilling the needs of the dog before ours. Why and how was the Millan Foundation created? The Foundation was created in 2007
with the primary goal of providing fi- nancial support and rehabilitation ex- pertise to shelters throughout the Unit- ed States. The idea was to better enable them to maintain the highest standards of care and assistance to animals under their protection. Through the strong support of our fans, this dream became a reality. My many years of experience in the rehabilitation of dogs of every breed and background has taught me that most animals can make excellent companions, and that all many of them need is the proper care and a second chance. Too often it is the owner who has given up on a pet, or mistreated it in some way that has made it inhos- pitable. These centers work diligently to rehabilitate dogs and find them good homes rather than exterminate them; a resort I think is never accept- able. Some of these shelters are woe- fully underfunded, though their hearts are in the right place. The Foundation hopes to provide assistance to the best of them whenever and wherever we can so that these great animals will continue to make great companions. And our mission has expanded over the years. We just launched an impor- tant spay/neuter campaign in addi- tion to the Mutt-i-grees curriculum, an innovative approach to humane education that merges instinctual intel- ligence and then emotional intelligence and social skills to stay connected. All of our efforts are helping to the spread the message and raise awareness. What social causes interest you? The rescuing, rehabilitation, and re-
www.hnmagazine.com
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