EPILOGUE - The Puppies Grow Up

Cesar with Junior and Daddy

Over the course of this book, I’ve had the joy of watching all the puppies featured here mature from clumsy childhood to gawky then almost graceful adolescence. All the dogs I have had the honor of raising educated me further about the nature of both their breeds and their species, adding new insight and depth to the work I do every day. Blizzard, Angel, and Mr. President each left me with such special gems of wisdom. And now, nearly a year after my “puppy project” began, these puppies continue to impart their wonderful gifts to the new humans in their lives.

BLIZZARD THE YELLOW LAB

Adolescent Blizzard

The first member to join the puppy pack has found pack life to be so good that he’s going to stay. As the newest member of the Barnes family, Blizzard now spends his days hanging out with Adriana Barnes, the director of my new forty-three-acre Dog Psychology Center, which means he’s got the great outdoors to romp in and a bunch of boisterous fellow canines for playmates. That suits Blizzard fine, because he has matured into the ideal yellow Lab: happy-go-lucky, friendly, slightly goofy, and amenable to new adventures. He’s always popular among the pack—the regular fixtures and new visitors alike—although if his energy level gets a little too high, there’s always someone like Junior or Angel to remind him to tone it down.

Blizzard is as warm and welcoming to humans as he is to members of his own species. At night, he cuddles up with the rest of the Barnes family, including Molly the dachshund, to enjoy one of their favorite family activities—watching movies together. He’s overcome his fear of the water and loves to splash around in the pool with Christian, whose pack leader skills are gradually improving. Blizzard has truly become what I had hoped he would grow up to be: the model yellow Labrador and living proof that there is indeed a better way to raise Marley!

ELIZA THE WHEATEN TERRIER

Teen Eliza

A full-fledged teenager now, Eliza has grown into the physical “springiness” that her breed is known for. She now flies through the air on jumps at her weekly agility classes and gracefully sails over the blockades in the house that used to keep her in her place. Chris and Johanna Komives learned to set stronger boundaries—and also bought taller gates (“We had to buy one designed for Great Danes,” Chris marvels). Chris says Eliza is the perfect dog 80 percent of the time, but he is still working to balance her ebullient energy when she’s around other dogs. “My goal is for both of us to be calm enough that she can hang out with Cesar’s new pack while we’re shooting this season’s Dog Whisperer. Her excited energy could get her into trouble with some of the red-zone cases. When she’s more like Junior and Daddy, I’ll feel more confident in having her with us.”

Other than Eliza’s tendency to be a little too exuberant around other dogs, Eliza’s life is a terrier’s dream. “We get up every morning for a walk before feeding. On weekends, if I’m not up by seven, she comes to the bedroom door and waits. She’s allowed to sleep in the living room. During the day, she stays in the backyard and the back hallway. From what I see on the webcam we set up to watch her, she sleeps most of the day, gets up around three p.m. and goes outside. On weekends or days I’m not working, I take her on a couple hours’ hike to Runyon Canyon or up in the San Gabriel Mountain or to the dog beach. Basically now on my days off, I think of things I can do with Eliza. I definitely get more exercise than before she came along. In the evening I take her for a walk or run, then feed her and groom her. On Wednesdays, we go to agility class. Life’s a lot more entertaining with her around. She’s a joy to have in our house.”

Ultimately, Chris has learned as much about himself as he has about raising a puppy from his experiences with Eliza. “Even though I told myself I was being calm-assertive, the fact that my dog is excited means I am feeding that energy. Now, when she’s excited, I ask myself consciously, ‘Am I really calm?’ Then I relax, and she relaxes. I probably dote on her too much. Johanna feels if our house were on fire, I’d run in to save Eliza first and then her. I probably should work on this.”

MR. PRESIDENT THE ENGLISH BULLDOG

Teen Mr. President

As a purebred bulldog puppy, Mr. President started life genetically imprinted with a few bulldog traits that don’t always make for the best well-mannered pets: he’d throw his weight around at mealtimes, he’d hog toys, and he’d approach new dogs chest out and eyes first. I’m delighted to have coached this little guy into becoming a true canine good citizen worthy of his illustrious name. He’s learned to wait for his food and play nicely with others, and he’s beginning to meet and greet new dogs like a pro. I’m particularly proud of how Mr. President has learned to use his nose almost as well as the other members of his pack—a skill that will go a long way toward keeping him balanced for the rest of his life. He’s also developed into the best and most enthusiastic swimmer of any bulldog I’ve ever seen!

Researcher Crystal Reel had been enamored with our little English bulldog since the moment she first laid eyes on him, and after fostering him while Ilusion and I were away on our trip, she began mounting a fervent campaign to become his official adoptive owner. While I wasn’t certain at first, Crystal persisted and proved to me without a doubt that she has what it would take to be pack leader to a strong-willed bulldog. Now that he’s officially her dog, he’s still very much in the Dog Whisperer extended family. When he’s not on location with me and the rest of the pack, Mr. President is hanging out in the office with Crystal and the many other office dogs at MPH/CMI, including Angel, where his days are filled with naps and belly rubs.

But Crystal also learned that despite his excellent breeding and background, Mr. President couldn’t escape the curse of allergies that bulldogs are prone to. “He’s fully recovered now,” says Crystal, “but Dr. Garcia tells me that bulldogs have special needs when it comes to skin allergies, and it’s just something we’ll have to monitor through his life. Thanks to his upbringing with Cesar, however, I have to say that going to the vet doesn’t faze Mr. President one bit.”

Thanks to his adoring new owner, the adolescent Mr. President is now enjoying the classic LA lifestyle. “He hangs out in a production office all day,” Crystal says, “then he has his assistant (me) drive him to the set, where he tapes a hit TV show. I don’t think life could get any better for this bulldog.”

ANGEL THE MINIATURE SCHNAUZER

Now a full-fledged teenager, Angel has hit a few monumental milestones. First and foremost, he has found a forever home with my close friend and the producer/director of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, SueAnn Fincke. After months of spending time with Angel on shoots, SueAnn knew she couldn’t part with him. Brooke Walker, Angel’s breeder, couldn’t be more satisfied with the match: “I’m so happy Angel will get to stay in the Dog Whisperer family.” Angel will continue to enjoy hanging out with me on location, along with the familiar company of all the dogs in my pack—including his best friend, Mr. President, from whom he is still inseparable. He remains well behaved, respectful, curious, and always eager to learn something new.

Adolescent Angel

Now that Angel has been adopted by SueAnn, she made the important decision to have him neutered. “I knew he was going to be a family pet and not a competitive show dog, so I thought it best to have him fixed,” she says. He’s also got a new name: Sir Albert Angel, or Albert for short. His favorite past-times are walking, fetching, playing with his chew toys—and going to the dog park. “In his spare time, he likes to relax on the couch, which he knows he shouldn’t do… since it only occurs if we’ve been out of sight for a while. We have given him the nickname Pigpen because although he is a fancy purebred he misses no opportunity to roll in as much dirt and mud as possible. He gives you these looks that make you wish you could read what’s going on in that funny, adorable mind of his.”

JUNIOR THE PITBULL

Junior in action

Junior, well into his adolescence and careening toward adulthood, gets along with any new dog or human that comes into our lives, while always remaining attuned to his instincts and alerting me to any negative energy that might be coming from either species. He can play equally happily with a terrier like Angel, a Lab like Blizzard, or another pit bull, such as Memphis, or another visitor to our pack. Much more “dog” than “pit bull,” Junior is actually a more enthusiastic water dog than Blizzard the Lab! To watch the gusto with which he dives into our backyard pool and retrieves balls and toys is to witness the purest kind of bliss imaginable.

But beyond being a happy, well-adjusted dog, Junior has been shaped into something much more rare through Daddy’s and my hard work and guidance. Junior is becoming more than just an enabler of balance; he’s becoming an actual source of balance itself. He seems deeply aware of his purpose: to use his abilities and power to help others. He has gone beyond the programming of his breed and even of his species to become a real ambassador to the world at large—a canine Gandhi or Martin Luther King. I feel we’re seeing only the beginning of what Junior will accomplish in his life.

As Daddy settles into semi-retirement, Junior is coming into his own as the next leader of the pack. In any new situation, I can sense Daddy’s wisdom mirrored in Junior’s feedback and intuition. Breeders try to pass on the genes of a dog from generation to generation, but with Junior, I’ve aimed to pass on Daddy’s psychological and spiritual essence instead. As sad as I am that Daddy is facing the sunset of his days on earth, I am comforted by the knowledge that his legacy will live on—not just in my heart but in the impact he has had on Junior, and in the influence Junior will have on the world. Junior will take Daddy’s gifts to the next level, having the added benefit of an owner who is older and wiser—as I certainly hope I am!—plus a full pack of committed humans, including my kids, to support and nurture his purpose. That’s what we all dream of, isn’t it? The next generation getting better and better? Through Junior and the future generations of puppies that Junior will inspire, Daddy and what he stands for will live on forever.

I am so proud to have had the opportunity to share all these dogs’ carefree, joyful puppyhoods with my readers and with the world.

Cesar Millan