As dog trainer and TV star Cesar Millan finished up a Canadian tour he was the subject of controversy on three fronts. His pit bull Junior was refused entry into the Canadian province of Ontario, a story in the Vancouver Sun criticized his methods and he was sued by a former employee in L.A..
This all happened under the backdrop of a Canadian tour. The star of The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel was in the midst of a 14 show, 11 city tour over 17 days in November of 2010 at the time. His final two shows were in Saskatoon on Saturday November 13 and Winnipeg the following night. Those dates were added after the tour had been announced by request of dogs lovers in those cities.
Pit Bull Junior Banned
There is a pit bull ban in Ontario that was put in place in 2005 due to many incidents in that province of pit bulls harming humans. In late October and early November of 2010 when Millan's show went to Toronto, Hamilton, London and Ottawa, Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley would not allow Junior to enter the province to play the shows.
Millan was informed of that back in August of 2010 and was prepared not to include Junior in the Ontario shows. There are no such bans in the other provinces Millan played in. Members of the opposition NDP party in Ontario criticized the government of being inflexible and tried to get Junior into the province but the government proved that they have as much bite as they do bark.
“We have a piece of legislation and it applies to all,” Bentley said about the ban at the time. “We don’t amend it on the fly. We respect the law and we expect the law applies equally to all.” Millan said that it's humans, not the dogs, at fault for attacks and that banning a breed creates misunderstanding and fear.
Vancouver Sun Writer Criticizes Cesar Millan
In a story in the Vancouver Sun on November 9, 2010 writer Kim Pemberton wrote about a controversy that's ongoing, chiefly that some other dog trainers - and dog owners - feel Millan's methods are outdated and criticize his handling of dogs. Pemberton was critical of Millan but did not give a full picture.
"The anti-Millan folks also have the backing of the American Humane Society, which condemned Millan's training methods as "inhumane, outdated and improper" and called on the National Geographic Channel to pull the plug on his show," Pemberton wrote. "Yes, Millan is charismatic, charming and funny but that doesn't mean the core message he gives about being the dominant leader of the pack and using force to instill that fact is correct."
The writer praised Tamar Geller, Larry King's dog trainer who appeared on King's show at that time. Geller had talked about how if a dog went to the bathroom in the house rubbing its nose in it would only cause more problems, and Pemberton agreed. The implication was that Millan would rub the dog's nose in it but Millan would not and would likely blame the behavior on the owner. Millan does not hit dogs or punish them in any way.
TMZ Says Cesar Millan Being Sued by Former Employee
At that time TMZ broke a story being picked up by other media that claims the former executive director of the Cesar and Illusion Millan Foundation, Sean Hawkins, was suing Millan and his company for unspecified damages. Hawkins says that he was fired by the company after returning from a month away where he was being treated for alcoholism.
TMZ said Hawkins filed his suit in L.A. Superior Country Court. Hawkins reportedly claims that he had gone for treatment for his illness in June and reported back to work a month later, sober and having completed his treatment. A that time his employer demoted him, he says, then fired him when he said he needed time to think about accepting the demotion. Hawkins claims he'd been given permission to go to treatment.
The 2010 Canadian tour was successful with sold-out venues and strong reviews.
Sources:
- Cesar' Millan's Dogs Way website.
- Enberg, Tanya; 'Cesar Millan hitting road for Great White North tour'; published September 6, 2010, accessed October 24; The Toronto Sun.
- Greenberg, Lee; 'Et tu, Ontario? Cesar's pooch not welcome in province for Ottawa show'; published November 4 2010, accessed November 12; Victoria Times-Colonist via Ottawa Citizen.
- Pemberton, Kim; 'Cesar Millan returns to Vancouver to the delight of his fans. Me, not so much'; published November 9 2010, accessed November 12; The Vancouver Sun.
- TMZ Staff; ' 'Dog Whisperer' Sued for Being Alcoholic Unfriendly '; published November 12, accessed same day.
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