National Geographic Channel′s DOG WHISPERER Helps One Of America′s most Beloved Dog Owners The Celebrated Author Of MARLEY AND ME
One New York Times Best-Selling Author Helps Another as Cesar Millan Comes to the Rescue of Author John Grogan and His Family
It seemed like any other day for a chicken named Liberace. He stepped out of the coop, looking left, looking right, . but then suddenly the poor bird was attacked. and killed. The surprising culprit? A 2-year-old Labrador retriever named Gracie.
"You look differently at your dog after they′ve eaten another pet," says Jenny Grogan of Gracie.
Her husband, John Grogan, New York Times best-selling author of "Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World′s Worst Dog," reflects, "I wrote the book about Marley. he was a handful. very energetic.. But Gracie. she′ll lock in on any small animal and go after it."
Recognizing that he′s got a more serious situation on his hands than an overly rambunctious and playful dog, Grogan calls on a fellow New York Times best-seller who knows how to handle difficult canine cases - National Geographic Channel′s Dog Whisperer and author of "Cesar's Way," Cesar Millan. The authors meet when Dog Whisperer: Bella & Big Boy, and Gracie premieres Friday, January 5, 2007, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
As Cesar points out to the Grogans, Gracie, being a purebred Labrador, can be gentle and friendly to humans, but she is also by nature a purebred retriever and hunter, and when those instincts go unfulfilled, she lets her aggression out in other ways ... and that′s what led to the demise of Liberace.
Through a series of exercises, Cesar trains Gracie to stay away from the scene of the crime - the chicken coop - and to adopt a calm, submissive energy when she is around chickens. In one oddly productive session, Cesar holds a chicken but stays relatively close to Gracie. Gracie wants to get closer, sniff and attack. The bird is nervous in Cesar′s arms - in fact, she even lays an egg in Cesar's hand! Gracie achieves a calm, submissive state shortly afterward . and the Grogans are left in awe of Cesar′s capabilities, even with poultry.
With the additional help of a local obedience trainer who specializes in harnessing retrievers′ natural instinct for hunting, the Grogans can now envision a happier home life and not worry about their dog - or their chickens.
Also in this episode, Cesar visits a dog-friendly office with some not-so-friendly dogs as he enters the corporate world of Paul Frank and his pop-icon hipster monkey products. The new owner, John Oswald, has a 4 ¸-year old boxer named Bella that has been attacking other employees′ dogs. But the office problems don′t stop there - another pooch is even more dangerously aggressive and poses a potentially bigger challenge: a 4-year-old pit bull mix named Big Boy. Cesar immediately recognizes the need for an intervention - and prescribes a stint at his Dog Psychology Center for Big Boy. Can living with a pack of rehabilitated dogs tame Big Boy′s aggression - and bring harmony to the office once again? And can both Big Boy′s owner Jillian and her boss learn to provide a calm, balanced energy to their pets and bring harmony back to the office?
In this third season of Dog Whisperer, for the first time, the series has traveled to cities across the country - including New York, N.Y.; Atlanta, Ga.; Chicago, Ill.; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Neb.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and Cleveland, Ohio - to aid problem dogs and their desperate owners. And Cesar comes to the rescue of Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen, legendary recording artist Patti LaBelle and actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
With more than 20 years of experience working with canines, Millan has been called "Dr. Phil for dogs," and for good reason. He has a unique gift of rehabilitating dogs and training their owners. A favorite of "Oprah Winfrey," Cesar was also parodied on a recent episode of "South Park," and his book "Cesar's Way" (Harmony Books, 2006) has been a fixture on the New York Times best-seller list for the past five months. The second season of Dog Whisperer received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy award. Millan was recently made an honorary member of the International Association of Canine Professionals.
