'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan Under Investigation Over Possible Animal Cruelty
SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA.com) — "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan remains under investigation Friday for possible animal cruelty.
On Thursday evening, Los Angeles County Animal Control officers and Santa Clarita Sheriff's deputies responded to the celebrity dog behaviorist's pet sanctuary and training facility, located in the 20300 block of Blue Cloud Road, after receiving an online complaint regarding animal cruelty.
Upon their arrival to the property, authorities were unable to locate Millan. They may return to the site today.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the complaint stems from a Feb. 26 episode of Millan's series "Cesar 911," which showed an aggressive dog biting on the ear of a pot-bellied pig during a behavior training session.
A rep for National Geographic Wild released a statement that reads in part: "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. The pig that was nipped by Simon was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress."
As a result of the training session, Millan was able to curb the dog's behavioral issues, which helped to overcome its aggression. "Simon did not have to be separated from his owner or euthanized," the statement continued.
National Geographic Wild clarified the situation was carefully monitored and controlled, and Millan "took precautions, such as putting Simon on a long lead to assess his behavior before making initial corrections and removing the leash," Entertainment Tonight reported.
"Animal abuse is never acceptable and should never be tolerated," Mark Stubis, CCO of the American Humane Association said in a written statement. "Situations like this should never, ever happen again. All animals deserve to be humanely treated and abuse must end now."
The investigation is ongoing.