Cesar Millan is often called the "Dog Whisperer". He is touted as a great trainer and leader in the dog world. Many people follow his suggestions and refer to his website for dog behavioural problems and training tips, myself included. That is until I stumbled on to an article on his site.

The following paragraphs are from that article, with our comments inserted in bold. We have provided a link at the bottom of the page so that you can read the entire Cesar post if you wish.

It has been my mission through the Millan Foundation to create and deliver community education programs and promote animal welfare by supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of abused and abandoned dogs. Every year approximately 5 to 7 million animals enter our shelters, and 3 to 5 million are euthanized. This means about 60 percent of the dogs in our shelters will be killed. While those numbers vary from state to state, this is the broad scope of the State of our Shelters, which we are sad to report, is mediocre at best.

We, here at Pet Breeders and Owners, couldn't agree more. The amount of dogs being euthanized on a regular basis around this country is deplorable. If you are a regular reader of this site, you know we often ask you to donate to your "local shelter" whenever you can.

First, we need to be clear that the data and statistics presented here are a sampling. There is no national organization that exists to monitor or regulate the approximately 5,000 independent animal shelters around the country. The communities themselves are the ones with oversight and the responsibility for keeping track and maintaining the momentum of helping to improve and protect the lives of our animals. Let this be a reminder to you that the terms “humane society” and “SPCA” are not official and many shelters using these names are not part of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) or the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Now I am really impressed! He gets it.

As a country, more than 60 percent of households own a pet, with 75 million of those pets being dogs. Many of them are gifts from acquaintances and family members, 15 to 20 percent are purchased from breeders, and 10 to 20 percent are adopted from shelters and rescues, and up to 10 percent are purchased from pet stores. Only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered and 75 percent of them are mixed breeds. And the average cost of caring for a dog (including food, basic supplies, medical needs, and training) is between $700-900 annually.

Cesar seems to realize that breeders are not the problem. He even states that only 15 to 20 percent of the dogs in shelters are from breeders. He even says that 75 percent of the dogs in shelters are mixed breeds, though our research shows this number is actually 80% or more. He also says that only 10 percent of the dogs that end up in shelters are spayed or neutered. This is proof that the vast majority of the alleged "over population" problem is the result of individual owners that are not taking care of the family pet.

Ahh - but not so fast, keep reading.

We have an overpopulation crisis. And no matter how well-intentioned or funded our shelters in certain communities may be, the bottom line when it comes to pet overpopulation is this: our shelters are overburdened, they don’t have enough room or resources, and dogs are being euthanized in devastating numbers. More are entering the shelters and never leaving than are going out to live happy, fulfilling lives as beloved canine companions. It is impossible to determine the actual number of strays on our streets and in our communities. A fertile dog on average will produce one litter a year, with 4 to 6 puppies. And a startling fact – the cost of spaying or neutering a dog is less than the cost of raising puppies for a year. So it comes down to simple mathematics really. If our pets are spayed or neutered, they will not produce litters, leaving less chance for such animals to end up homeless, in shelters, or put to sleep. Another thing to keep in mind is that dogs that are microchipped have a better chance of returning to their owners than those who aren’t, at a rate of 15 to 20 percent. And equally critical is shutting down puppy mill operations, encouraging people to adopt and not shop at pet stores.

Right here he lost sight of the proof of his own numbers. If you refer back to the above paragraph he states that 75 percent are mixed breeds. Using his figures, that makes the number of mixed breed puppies born every year to non-breeders in excess of 22.5 million puppies. Yet he states that only 5 to 7 million dogs are killed each year in shelters and pounds. Something isn't adding up here. 

Why is it that above he mentioned that breeders are only 10 to 20 percent of the problem, and then attacks them all as "puppy mills"?

We are back to the question, what is a puppy mill? No one can seem to define what a puppy mill is and yet so many people are quick to point the finger at them as the problem. Here is a well know dog person who should know the facts, even puts the numbers out there for all to see, lumping all commercial breeders together as "PUPPY MILLS".

This leaves us with a responsibility. As a whole, we are a humane country and we love our pets. But we need to look outside our homes and to our communities to help educate and raise awareness about the cruelty taking place. First, we need to spay and neuter our pets, and make low-cost or free spay/neuter services available to all. Second, we need to adopt and rescue, so that we make it impossible for puppy mills to survive and continue to abuse our animals with horrendous living conditions, producing litter after litter. Third, we need to provide the shelters with support – both in funding and manpower. It has been my experience that most of them are well-intentioned and are doing the best they can with a limited amount of resources and an overwhelming burden.

In the paragraph above, he brings up a good point. Most shelters do have a limited amount of resources. However - they remain unregulated, uninspected and often more deplorable than the "puppy mills" these people seek to put out of business. They are often over populated, disease ridden, understaffed and over taxed on funds to the point they cannot properly feed the animals placed in their care, making the dogs and cats in their care sometimes worse off than if they had remained strays.

Where is the outrage over that?

Keep in mind that he, nor most Animal Rights people, make any distinction between good breeders and puppy mills.

As always - we do not now, nor have we ever, supported sub-standard breeders or inhumane treament of animals in anyone's care! 

To read all of the article from Cesar Millan please follow this link to his website. Cesar Millan