LOS ANGELES — An anti-cruelty complaint that sent authorities to “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan’s rehabilitation center has been blown way out of proportion, the dog trainer said Friday.

The complaint was started online and based on footage from Millan’s television show “Cesar 911,” in which a French bulldog-terrier mix named Simon chases a farm pig and nips its ear, making it bleed. The complaint is misguided because it was a happy ending – the pig was fine and the dog was rehabilitated, Millan said.

Animal control officers and sheriff’s deputies visited his ranch Thursday night, but no action was taken. In a telephone interview from Iowa with The Associated Press, Millan said that when he returns from his speaking tour, he would cooperate fully with both departments.

The dog trainer who television made famous said he has used the same technique to help aggressive canines hundreds of times. The training involves getting the dog together with the animal it doesn’t like (whether it is another dog, a cat or a horse) so the two can learn to get along.

Millan, 46, is a self-taught dog trainer who became internationally known for his work on a previous television show, the “Dog Whisperer,” which won him an Emmy nomination.

He was working with an aggressive dog named Simon, who was attacking his owner’s pet pot-bellied pigs.

– From news service reports


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