Dog Whisperer – Season 7 Begins Friday

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT JUDGE HOW MANDEL LEARNS TO “DEAL” WITH HIS COMPING CHIHUAHUA IN THE SEVENTH SEASON PREMIERE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL’S HIT SERIES DOG WHISPERER WITH CESAR MILLAN

Actress Rhona Mitra and Missi Pyle, Wildlife Expert Casey Anderson and NASA Astronauts Suni Wiliams and Leland Melvin Also Featured in New Episodes This Fall

Season Seven of Dog Whisperer Premieres Friday, October 8, at 8 PM ET/PT

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – SEPTEMBER 14, 2010) Howie Mandel may be a beloved comic and television personality, but his wife’s Chihuahua Lola is not a fan. In fact, every time Howie is around Lola she tries to attack him. If Howie could have his way, he would never go near the dog at all. His OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) makes him content to love animals from a good, comfortable distance. No need to touch them. He does however want to be close to his wife Terry, but Lola won’t let Howie anywhere in sight of her. Before Howie gives up and declares this doggy dilemma a “No Deal,” he calls for backup.

Enter Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer – winner of the 2010 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Animal Show. When good dogs go bad – and Lola’s gone bad – Cesar steps in to save the day.

Now entering its seventh season of National Geographic Channel, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan returns with 15 all-new episodes featuring canine calamity this October. No dog is too much for Cesar to handle. Cesar rehabilitates dogs and trains people. Find out how Cesar helps Howie and Terry deal with little Lola when the new season premieres Friday, October 8, at 8 PM ET/PT. The premiere is timed to the release of Cesar’s new book, Cesar’s Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog, on sale Tuesday, October 5th.

The world of unfulfilled canines keeps Cesar employed with plenty of dog problems. But he encounters a whole new set of issues while working with dogs that have been crossbred with wolves. In a special episode this season, Cesar enlists he help of wolf-dog expert Jennifer McCarthy to bring balance to three canine hybrids who display the confused behaviors of a while animals trapped in a dog’s body.

Cesar’s influence reached out of this world, literally, when he chatted with United States astronaut Suni Williams via satellite while she served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. Cesar gave Suni some long-distance coaching on how to manage her Jack Russell terrier Gorby when she returned to Earth. Now back safely back on the ground, Suni and fellow astronaut Leland Melvin invite Cesar on a tour of NASA’s mission control in Houston, Texas. It’s not all play and no work though. Cesar makes sure Leland has the “right stuff” to condition his dog Scout beyond bouts of aggressive behavior.

Cesar’s reputation for successfully rehabilitating problem pouches has made him a go-to resource for Hollywood pet owners starring in their own doggy dramas. Actress Rhona Mitra (The Gates, Boston Legal) was drawn to her French bulldog Oscar because of her fondness for pigs, seeing a resemblance. But when Oscar was attacked by a pit bull at age 4, his personality changed for the worse. He now lunges after other dogs when Rhona walks him. She enlists Cesar to help Oscar with the award for best behaved bulldog.

Wildlife expert Casey Anderson is no stranger to wild animals. He and his 900-pound black bear Brutus star in Nat Geo WILD’s series Expedition Wild, and Casey spends a good deal of his time tracking grizzly bears and other fierce predators in North America. But when it comes to the aggressive animals living in his own home, Casey is at a loss. Casey’s wife, film and television actress Missi Pyle, can’t get a handle on her two dogs, Ellie and J.J. Ellie is aggressive toward other dogs, lunging and snapping at them as they leisurely walk by. J.J. likes to join in on the fun, and once the two dogs get started they become completely uncontrollable. Missi looks to her husband for help, but even Casey’s girzzly-taming techniques don’t seem to work, and Cesar is brought in to help Missi and Casey “bear” the burden.

Meghan Plunkett, daughter of former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett, began caring for her brother Jimmy’s black-and-white pit bull Gotti after Jimmy unexpectedly passed away in 2008. But once she took ownership of Gotti, he started to exhibit nervous behavior and began barking and lunging at other dog walkers. Meghan’s call to Cesar for help was bittersweet. Jimmy loved watching Dog Whisperer and modeled Gotti’s training on the relationship Cesar had with his dog Daddy. In an emotional and touching story, Cesar works with Meghan and the grieving Plunkett family to help resolve Gotti’s aggression and to begin restoring his confidence and sense of calm.

Season seven features 15 new episodes beginning Friday, October 8 – returning after a summer of fan-favorite encore episodes airing every Friday night.

About Dog Whisperer

Each episode of >Dog Whisperer follows dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan as he goes directly into the homes of dog owners – without any prior information about the dog’s case – and documents the remarkable transformations that take place under Cesar’s calm, assertive guidance.

The hugely popular series has grown into a pop culture phenomenon, including parodies on South Park and Saturday Night Live; references on popular shows including Jeopardy! and Bravo’s series Work Out; appearances on Oprah, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Martha Steward, Today Show, The View, and Live with Regis and Kelly; and a guest star role for Cesar on the hit series Ghost Whisperer and The Backup Plan. Dog Whisperer has also been nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program.

About Cesar Millan

With more than 20 years of experience working with canines, Cesar has been called a “Dr. Phil for Dogs,” and for good reason. He has a unique gift of rehabilitating dogs and training their owners. His talent with dogs first developed on his grandfather’s farm in Mexico. His Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles received as many as 100 calls a week from owners desperate for help and confronting a crisis with their beloved pets. Cesar has now moved his center to Santa Clarita, where he is at work on building a true sanctuary for his canine companions. Often, the dogs Cesar works with are “red-zone cases” that trainers or veterinarians have told the owners to put down. Cesar believes every dog deserves a chance at rehabilitation before such drastic measures should even be considered. His pack of dogs are largely dogs no one thought should be left alive – and they now live in harmony as part of Cesar’s pack, and make frequent appearances on the show. Millan was made an honorary member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and was presented The Michael Landon Award for Inspiration to Youth Through Television at the 28th Young Artist Awards.

Cesar has published four best-selling books, and launched a new magazine, Cesar’s Way, in the fall of 2009. Other things Cesar include the following: The first four seasons of Dog Whisperer are available on DVD; Cesar founded the nonprofit Millan Foundation, providing financial support and rehabilitation expertise to shelters throughout the United States; Cesar has an exclusive product line available at Petco; and he is giving online seminars, “Sessions with Cesar,” an interactive coaching course. Additionally, Cesar’s new magazine – Cesar’s Way – from IMG Publishing is available on newsstands now and features celebrity dog stories and everyday dog lovers who have built a lifestyle around their companions.

For more information about Dog Whisperer, visit www.natgeotv.com/DogWhisperer.