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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on an online complaint alleging animal cruelty by "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
"Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan says an online petition that claims he cruelly used a pig to bait an aggressive dog is misguided because the pig was fine and the dog was rehabilitated.
The dog trainer television made famous told The Associated Press on Friday that he has used the same technique to help aggressive canines hundreds of times. The training involves getting the dog together with the animal it doesn't like so the two can learn to get along.
Footage from a recent episode of his TV show "Cesar 911" shows a French bulldog-terrier mix chasing a pot-bellied pig and nipping its ear until it bled. Those images prompted a petition on Change.org.
The complaint led authorities to Millan's Los Angeles-area pet rehabilitation center Thursday, but they took no further action.
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8:50 a.m.
A spokesman for National Geographic Channels television says a video clip without context caused a flurry of concern over dog trainer Cesar Millan's methods when he used pigs to help in dog training.
Spokesman Chad Sandhas says Millan was working with an aggressive French bulldog-terrier mix named Simon, who has a history of attacking other animals, including his owner's pet pot-bellied pigs. The teaser clip showed Simon chasing a pig and nipping its ear, causing it to bleed.
Los Angeles County animal control officers went to Millan's Dog Psychology Center in Santa Clarita on Thursday, but the trainer was not there.
Jill Breitner initiated a petition on Change.org, calling for Nat Geo WILD to take the show "Cesar 911" off the air.
Calls to county animal control were not immediately returned.
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