Cesar Millan

Country of origin: Mexico

Cesar Millan, (born César Millán Favela; August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-American self-taught, professional dog psychologist widely known for his television series The Dog Whisperer, now in its seventh season and broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide.

Prior to The Dog Whisperer series, Millan focused on rehabilitating especially aggressive dogs and founded the Dog Psychology Center in South Los Angeles (2002–2008) — under construction in a new Los Angeles location as of late 2009.

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Born in 1969 to Felipe Millán Guillen and María Teresa Favela de Millán in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, Millan grew up working with animals on his grandfather's Sinaloa farm. Because of his natural way with dogs, he was called el Perrero, "the dog boy." The family later moved to Mazatlán, and there — at age 13, on their way to his judo competition and standing in front of a large statue — Millan declared to his mother he would one day be the best dog trainer in the world.

Millan illegally crossed the border into the US when he was 21 years old, spoke no English and knew no one in the USA. He first worked in a dog grooming store, working with the most aggressive dogs — later creating the Pacific Point Canine Academy and developing a following. Jada Pinkett Smith (then, Jada Pinkett) became one of Millan's first clients and supporters — when he was working as a limousine driver — providing him with an English tutor for a year. Subsequently, Millan created the Dog Psychology Center, a 2-acre (8,100 m2) facility in South Los Angeles—specializing in working with large breed dogs.

Millan became a legal resident of the U.S. in 2000, became a U.S. citizen in 2009, and lives in Santa Clarita, CA.

To find out more about Cesar Millan, see his page on Wikipedia, or to find out more about his Dog Whisperer show, see his website.