ADOPT, DON'T SHOP! WITH THE DOG WHISPERER
LCA AND CESAR MILLAN EXPOSE PUPPY MILLS
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Cesar Millan Adopt Don't Shop PSA para Costa Rica |
Watch the Dog Whisperer’s Cesar Millan team up with LCA |
LCA's Special Investigation Unit in the field with Cesar Millan
"We are from two different points of rescuing," Cesar says of LCA,
"They do the physical rescue, I do the psychological rescue. So together it's a team, it's a good pack."
Every year, more than one million purebred and "designer" dogs are born and bred into puppy mills ― often packed in tiny wire cages, neglected, dehydrated, dirty and chronically sick, with little or no human interaction or affection ― and then sold legally to pet stores throughout the country. In a powerful Dog Whisperer episode, Cesar Millan went undercover to witness the horrors of puppy mills firsthand and worked to rehabilitate dogs who had never known a world outside their overcrowded cages, or learned how to interact with humans.
National Geographic Channel documentary, Dog Whisperer: Inside Puppy Mills, exposed inhumane conditions at these factory-like breeding operations, as Cesar joined an undercover mission with Last Chance for Animals (LCA). With hidden cameras, LCA operatives spot-checked several Los Angeles County kennels ― essentially dog-breeding facilities that may be exceeding legal capacity limits. After negotiating with the owners of one of these kennels, the team, including Cesar, was able to rescue 11 dogs considered worthless by breeders ― a small start in the hope to save as many dogs as possible from these conditions. LCA team members then learned from Cesar as he taught them how to rehabilitate the traumatized dogs from the moment they are taken out of their cages. “We are from two different points of rescuing,” Cesar says of LCA. “They do the physical rescue, I do the psychological rescue. So together it’s a team, it’s a good pack.” Entertainer Sharon Osbourne even adopted one of the rescued pups!
Dogs bred at puppy mills can typically exhibit hyper or nervous behavior, acting fearful, obsessive or aggressive. Cesar has seen this behavior frequently during his career, but he has never seen the factory-style breeding grounds and caged conditions that cause it. For the first time, he found out what it’s like inside the kennel facilities, how these dogs are living and who’s running the operations.
“It takes of a lot of concentration not to judge [puppy mill owners] when you know they’re doing something wrong. But in order for me to help and influence them, I have to see what they’re doing,” he says. “I saw a dog that was blind. I saw many dogs in one kennel. I felt a lot of frustration; I felt a lot of confusion … definitely aggression … a lot of anxiety.”
LCA has done amazing work investigating and uncovering overcrowding and deplorable conditions at local breeding kennels. After one of LCA’s investigations, World Kennels in Lancaster, CA, was ordered to release 75 dogs and puppies to local shelters. The following day, World Kennels agreed to discreetly release another 40 dogs to LCA. Among these dogs were Sophie, a 5-year-old Pekingese, and Lovey, a 6-year-old Yorkshire terrier. LCA volunteer Kim Sill offered to foster the two dogs but was unprepared for the problems they displayed. Kim believed she was the first human outside the kennels to have contact with Sophie. From day one, Sophie had been aggressive to every person she came in contact with, except for Kim, to whom she was very attached. Lovey, on the other hand, had no problems with people, except that she obsessively licked them.
Cesar quickly identified Sophie’s aggression issues and corrected Kim’s response to them, showing her how to improve Sophie’s behavior around strangers. Within minutes, Sophie was calmer than Kim had ever seen. Then, Cesar worked with Lovey to teach her to calm her nonstop affection. Lovey’s obsession might seem sweet at first, but it quickly becomes burdensome. With Cesar’s help, LCA learned how to go one step further in puppy mill rescue efforts and give the dogs a normal, happy life.
“When you bring a dog into your life, please do your homework and don’t buy a dog from a puppy mill. Visit a local shelter or rescue group instead,” Cesar says.
Cesar Millan interview in Costa Rica
Click here for the english translation
LCA team members learn from Cesar as he teaches how to rehabilitate traumatized dogs