Late February 2010 brought sad news to the pet world: The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's dog Daddy died on February 19, 2010.
The Dog Whisperer announced the death of Daddy the pit bull in a tweet on Twitter, which linked to a post on CesarsWay.com. The sad announcement of the death of Cesar's dog said, in part, "...Daddy, Cesar’s longtime friend and partner in canine rehabilitation, died peacefully surrounded by family on Friday the 19th of February. He was sixteen years old."
Millan has not formally announced Daddy's cause of death. It is widely known that Daddy suffered from cancer in recent years; he had endured rounds of chemotherapy treatment. For a larger dog breed like a pit bull (also known as an American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier), age 16 is at the upper end of the life expectancy chart. Daddy was 112 in dog years.
Immediately following Daddy's death, the Millan family lit 500 candles in his memory. There's also word that Millan will build a "temple" to Daddy at the highest point of his California ranch; there, he'll scatter Daddy's ashes.
Cesar Millan's Dog Daddy and The Dog Whisperer Show
The red and white pit bull with golden eyes is best known for his role on Cesar Millan's National Geographic Channel show, The Dog Whisperer. Daddy was Millan's "right-hand man, helping to shape the behavior of entire generations of dogs by showing them the way to balance. He stood as champion for calm-submissive pit bulls everywhere, and was instrumental in helping to repair their image as violent, savage, uncontrollable beasts."
Daddy the pit bull came to Cesar Millan at the age of four months; his former owner is the famed rapper known as Redman. Daddy underwent intensive training and ultimately, he became The Dog Whisperer's training partner, serving as a calm, submissive and well-behaved role model for stressed, upset, frightened or aggressive dogs.
The Dog Whisperer's dog didn't just help with dog training efforts. Daddy was often seen at events like book signings and he even accompanied Millan to the 56th Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards!
Daddy's Retirement and His Protégé, Junior the Pit Bull
Millan's pit bull Daddy spent the last two years of his life in "retirement." In the later years of his life, Millan and Daddy worked to train his successor, a sweet grey and white "blue pit bull" named Junior.
Junior now works with Cesar on The Dog Whisperer and at The Dog Psychology Center, serving as a calm, submissive role model to dogs in training with Millan. Junior also fulfills another important role that was started by his predecessor.
Known as the "pit bull ambassador," Daddy worked with The Dog Whisperer to change the public's perception of the "widely-misunderstood" pit bull breed. On many episodes of The Dog Whisperer, Millan pointed to Daddy as proof that pit bulls are not inherently aggressive or "mean" dogs; like any dog, their behavior is a product of their environment and training (or lack thereof.) In the wake of Daddy's death, Junior now continues this important mission, serving "as a calm, sweet, and mellow example of a widely misunderstood breed," according to CesarsWay.com. Junior now continues Daddy's work, working with dogs in training and counteracting pit bull bias.
Fund in Memory of Daddy the Pit Bull Helps Animals in Need
In life, Daddy helped The Dog Whisperer train hundreds of dogs with problems like aggression, fear, dominance and an array of canine behavioral issues. Even after his death, Millan's dog will continue to help pets, owners and the entire pit bull breed through The Dog Whisperer re-runs and through a fund that's been established in Daddy's memory.
In the hours following the death of Daddy the pit bull, Cesar Millan established Daddy's Emergency Animal Rescue Fund, also known as the DEAR Fund.
The memorial fund for Daddy will "provide assistance for dogs who are victims of abuse or violence, man-made disasters (hoarder and puppy mill rescues), and large-scale natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, and other natural catastrophes)."
Millan's Cesars Way website also says, "If you would like to honor Daddy’s memory and the contribution he made to improve the lives of other animals, you can make a donation to Daddy’s Emergency Animal Rescue Fund," which was established as a branch of The Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation.
To learn more about dog training tips from The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, read Tips From The Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan – TV's Dog Whisperer Tips on Dog Training and Dog Psychology, which features excerpts from an exclusive interview with Suite101 Contributing Writer Mia Carter.
Sources:
CesarsWay.com, "In Memoriam: Daddy the Pit Bull." Retrieved February 24, 2010.
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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