Labrador
70px
Flag of Labrador, with Coat of arms (de facto)
Motto: Munus splendidum mox explebitur  (Latin) "The splendid task will soon be fulfilled"
Geography
Area:	294,330 square kilometres (113,640 sq mi)
Water area:	31,340 km2 (12,100 sq mi) (4%)
Coastline:	7,886 km (4,900 mi)
Highest Point:	Mount Caubvick (1,652 m, 5,420 ft)
Longest River:	Churchill River (856 km, 532 mi)
Admin HQ:	Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Demographics
Population (2006):	26,364[1]
Density	0.09 /km2
Largest City:	Happy Valley – Goose Bay[2] 7,572 (2006)
Politics
Government of Newfoundland & Labrador http://www.gov.nl.ca
Members of the Parliament of Canada:	1
Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly:	4

Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle. It is the largest and northernmost geographical region in Atlantic Canada.

Labrador occupies the eastern part of the Labrador Peninsula, in an area slightly larger than the US state of Colorado. It is bordered to the west and the south by the Canadian province of Quebec. Labrador also shares a small land border with the Canadian territory of Nunavut on Killiniq Island.

Though Labrador's area is over twice that of the island of Newfoundland, it has only 6% of the province's population. The aboriginal peoples of Labrador include the Northern Inuit of Nunatsiavut, the Southern Inuit-Métis of Nunatukavut (NunatuKavut), and the Innu. The non-aboriginal population in Labrador did not permanently settle in Labrador until the natural resource developments of the 1940s and 1950s. Before the 1950s, very few non-aboriginal people lived in Labrador year round. The few European immigrants who worked seasonally for foreign merchants and brought their families were known as Settlers.

Geography[link]

Natural-colour satellite image of an ice island off the coast of Labrador.

Labrador has a large, irregular, semi-triangular shape (see map at right) that encompasses the easternmost section of the Canadian Shield, a sweeping geographical region of thin soil and abundant mineral resources. Its western border with Quebec is the drainage divide of the Labrador peninsula. Lands that drain into the Atlantic Ocean are part of Labrador, while lands that drain into Hudson Bay are part of Quebec. Northern Labrador's climate is classified as polar, while Southern Labrador's climate is classified as subarctic.

Labrador can be divided into four geographical regions: the North Coast, Central Labrador, Western Labrador, and the South Coast. Each of those regions is described below.

Nunatsiavut[link]

From Cape Chidley to Hamilton Inlet. The long thin northern tip of Labrador holds the Torngat Mountains, named after an Inuit spirit believed to inhabit them. The mountains stretch along the coast from Port Manvers to Cape Chidley, the northernmost point of Labrador. The Torngat Mountain range is also home to Mount Caubvick, the highest point in the province. This area is predominantly Inuit, with the small Innu community of Natuashish being the exception. The north coast is the most isolated region of Labrador, with snowmobiles, boats, and planes being the only modern modes of transportation. The largest community in this region is Nain.

Nunatsiavut is an Inuit self-government region in Labrador created on June 23, 2000. The Settlement area comprises the majority of Labrador's North Coast, while the land-use area also includes land farther to the interior and in Central Labrador. Nain is the administrative center of Nunatsiavut.

Central Labrador[link]

The most populous region of Labrador, Central Labrador extends from the shores of Lake Melville into the interior. It contains the Churchill River, the largest river in Labrador and one of the largest in Canada. The hydroelectric dam at Churchill Falls is the second largest underground power station in the world, but most of the supply is bought by Hydro-Québec under a long-term contract. The Lower Churchill Project will develop the remaining potential of the river and supply it to provincial consumers. Known as "the heart of the Big Land", the area's population comprises people from all groups and regions of Labrador.

Central Labrador is also home to Happy Valley – Goose Bay, the largest community in Labrador. Once a refueling point for plane convoys to Europe in World War II, CFB Goose Bay is now a NATO tactical flight training site and was an alternate landing zone for the Space Shuttle.

Western Labrador[link]

The highlands above the Churchill Falls was once an ancient hunting ground for the Innu First Nations and settled trappers of Labrador. After the construction of the hydroelectric dam at Churchill Falls in 1970, the Smallwood Reservoir has flooded much of the old hunting land, and submerged several gravesites and trapping cabins. Western Labrador is also home to the Iron Ore Company of Canada, which operates a large iron ore mine in Labrador City. Together with the small community of Wabush, the two towns are known as “Labrador West”.

NunatuKavut[link]

From Hamilton Inlet to Cape Charles/St. Lewis. Nunatukavut is the territory of the Central-Southern Labrador Inuit, formerly known as the Labrador Métis. The region is peppered with tiny Inuit fishing communities, of which Cartwright is the largest. The Wonderstrands, miles of sandy white beaches at the mouth of the Hamilton Inlet south to Sandwich Bay, were mentioned in the ancient Viking sagas.

The Straits[link]

From Cape Charles to the Quebec/Labrador coastal border. Like NunatuKavut, the straits is also known for its Labrador seagrass and the multitude of icebergs that pass by the coast via the Labrador Current. Red Bay is known as one of the best examples of a preserved 16th Century Basque Whaling Station. It is also the location of four 16th-Century Basque Spanish Galleons. The lighthouse in L’Anse Amour is the second largest lighthouse in Canada. Passenger Ferry service to the island of Newfoundland is out of St. Barbe near the Quebec/Labrador border.

Brief History[link]

As with its island neighbour Newfoundland, early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Montagnais, Innu and Inuit, although these peoples also made significant forays throughout the interior as well. European settlement was largely concentrated in coastal communities, particularly those south of St. Lewis and Cape Charles, and are among Canada's oldest European settlements. The Moravian Brethren of Herrnhut, Saxony, first came to the Labrador Coast in 1760 to minister to the migratory Inuit tribes there. They founded Nain, Okak, Hebron, Hopedale and Makkovik. Extremely poor, both European and First Nations settlements along coastal Labrador came to benefit from cargo and relief vessels that were operated as part of the Grenfell Mission (see Wilfred Grenfell). Throughout the 20th century, coastal freighters and ferries operated initially by the Newfoundland Railway and later Canadian National Railway/CN Marine/Marine Atlantic became a critical lifeline for communities on the coast, which for the majority of that century did not have any road connection with the rest of North America.

Labrador played strategic roles during both World War II and the Cold War. In October 1943, a German U-boat crew installed an automated weather station on the northern tip of Labrador near Cape Chidley, code–named Weather Station Kurt; this was the only armed, German military operation on the North American mainland during the war. The station broadcast weather observations to the German navy for only a few days, but was not discovered until the 1980s when a historian, working with the Canadian Coast Guard, identified its location and mounted an expedition to recover it. The station is now exhibited in the Canadian War Museum.^[3]

The Canadian government built a major air force base at Goose Bay, at the head of Lake Melville during the Second World War, a site selected because of its topography, access to the sea, defensible location, and minimal fog. During the Second World War and the Cold War, the base was also home to American, British, and later German, Dutch, and Italian detachments. Today, CFB Goose Bay is the largest employer for the community of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Additionally, both the Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Air Force built and operated a number of radar stations along coastal Labrador as part of the Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line and DEW Line systems. Today the remaining stations are automated as part of the North Warning System, however the military settlements during the early part of the Cold War surrounding these stations have largely continued as local Innu and Inuit populations have clustered near their port and airfield facilities.

During the first half of the 20th century, some of the largest iron ore deposits in the world were discovered in the western part of Labrador and adjacent areas of Quebec. Deposits at Mont Wright, Schefferville, Labrador City, and Wabush drove industrial development and human settlement in the area during the second half of the 20th century.

The present community of Labrador West is entirely a result of the iron ore mining activities in the region. The Iron Ore Company of Canada operates the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to transport ore concentrate 800 kilometres (500 mi) south to the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, for shipment to steel mills in North America and elsewhere.

During the 1960s, the Churchill River (Labrador name: Grand River) was diverted at Churchill Falls, resulting in the flooding of an enormous area – today named the Smallwood Reservoir after Joey Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland. The flooding of the reservoir destroyed large areas of habitat for the threatened Woodland Caribou. Both a hydroelectric generating station and a transmission line were built in the neighbouring province of Quebec.

From the 1970s to early 2000s, the Trans-Labrador Highway was built in stages to connect various inland communities with the North American highway network at Mont Wright, Quebec (which in turn is connected by a highway running north from Baie-Comeau, Quebec). A southern extension of this highway has opened in stages during the early 2000s and is resulting in significant changes to the coastal ferry system in the Strait of Belle Isle and southeastern Labrador. These "highways" are so called only because of their importance to the region; they would be better described as roads, and are not completely paved.

A study on a fixed link to Newfoundland, in 2004, recommended that a tunnel under the Strait of Belle Isle, being a single railway that would carry cars, buses and trucks, was technologically the best option for such a link. However, the study also concluded that a fixed link was not economically viable. Conceivably, if built with federal aid, the 1949 terms of union would be amended to remove ferry service from Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques across the Cabot Strait.

Although a highway link has, as of 16 December 2009, been completed across Labrador, this route is somewhat longer than a proposed Quebec North Shore highway that presently does not exist. Part of the "highway", Route 389, starting approximately 212 kilometres (132 mi) from Baie-Comeau to 482 kilometres (300 mi), is of an inferior alignment, and from there to 570 kilometres (350 mi), the provincial border, is an accident-prone section notorious for its poor surface and sharp curves. Quebec in April 2009 announced major upgrades to Route 389 to be carried out.

Route 389 and the Trans-Labrador Highway were added to Canada's National Highway System in September 2005.

Labrador constitutes a federal electoral district electing one member to the House of Commons of Canada. Due to its size, distinct nature, and large Aboriginal population, Labrador has one seat despite having the smallest population of any electoral district in Canada. Formerly, Labrador was part of a riding that included part of the Island of Newfoundland. Labrador is divided into four provincial electoral districts in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.

Time zone[link]

Officially, all of Newfoundland and Labrador uses Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30 in winter, UTC-2:30 in summer). However, in practice, most of Labrador (from Cartwright north and west) uses Atlantic Time (UTC-4 in winter, UTC-3 in summer). The southwestern tip nearest the Island of Newfoundland uses Newfoundland Time to stay coordinated with the island.

Boundary dispute[link]

Line A: the boundary decided by the Privy Council; the current legal boundary. Line B: the boundary as it is sometimes portrayed by Quebec today.

The border between Labrador and Canada was set March 2, 1927, after a tortuous five-year trial. In 1809 Labrador had been transferred from Lower Canada to Newfoundland, but the landward boundary of Labrador had never been precisely stated.^[4] Newfoundland argued it extended to the height of land, but Canada, stressing the historical use of the term "Coasts of Labrador", argued the boundary was 1 statute mile (1.6 km) inland from the high-tide mark. As Canada and Newfoundland were separate Dominions, but both members of the British Empire, the matter was referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London), which set the Labrador boundary mostly along the coastal watershed. One of Newfoundland's conditions for joining Confederation in 1949 was that this boundary be entrenched in the Canadian constitution. While this border has not been formally accepted by the Quebec government, the Henri Dorion Commission (Commission d'étude sur l'intégrité du territoire du Québec) concluded in the early 1970s that Quebec no longer has a legal claim to Labrador.^[5]

Prior to the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum, Parti Quebecois Premier Jacques Parizeau indicated that in the event of a "yes" vote, a sovereign Quebec under his leadership would have recognized the 1927 border. However, in 2001, Québec Natural Resources Minister and Québec Intergovernmental Affairs Minister reasserted that Québec has never recognised the 1927 border:

"Les ministres rappellent qu'aucun gouvernement québécois n'a reconnu formellement le tracé de la frontière entre le Québec et Terre-Neuve dans la péninsule du Labrador selon l'avis rendu par le comité judiciaire du Conseil privé de Londres en 1927. Pour le Québec, cette frontière n'a donc jamais été définitivement arrêtée."^[6]

(The ministers reiterate that no Quebec government has ever formally recognized the drawing of the border between Quebec and Newfoundland in the Labrador peninsula according to the opinion rendered by the privy council in 1927. For Quebec, this border has thus never been definitively defined.)

Possible separation from Newfoundland[link]

A Royal Commission in 2002 determined that there is a certain amount of public pressure from Labradorians to break off from Newfoundland and become a separate province or territory. Some of the Innu nation would have the area become a homeland for them, much as Nunavut is for the Inuit; a 1999 resolution of the Assembly of First Nations claimed Labrador as a homeland for the Innu and demanded recognition in any further constitutional negotiations regarding the region.^[7] The northern Inuit self-government region of Nunatsiavut was recently created through agreements with the provincial and federal governments. The Southern Inuit of Nunatukavut (NunatuKavut), who are also seeking self-government, have their land claim before the federal government. The provincial government of Newfoundland refuses to recognize or negotiate with the Inuit of NunatuKavut until their claim has been accepted by the federal government.

Timeline[link]

• 11th century: Probably visited by Leif Ericson. See Markland.
• 1498: Sighted by João Fernandes Lavrador, who gave "Labrador" its name
• 1498: Visited by John Cabot
• 1500: Visited by Gaspar Corte-Real
• 1534: Visited by Jacques Cartier
• 1763: Labrador is transferred from the French colony Canada to the British colony Newfoundland as per the Treaty of Paris.
• 1774: Labrador is transferred (along with Anticosti Island and the Magdalen Islands) to the Province of Quebec.
• 1791: Labrador becomes part of Lower Canada when Quebec is divided into two colonies.
• 1792: George Cartwright publishes his Journal of Transactions and Events, During a Residence of Nearly Sixteen Years on the Coast of Labrador.
• 1809: Labrador (from Cape Chidley to the mouth of the Saint-Jean River) is transferred back to Newfoundland.
• 1825: The north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence west of Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, and south of 52° north is separated from Labrador and transferred back to Lower Canada.
• 1892: Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary and social activist, first came to Labrador.
• 1927: The Labrador boundary dispute is settled.
• 1941: Canada builds the air base at Goose Bay.
• 1949: Labrador becomes part of Canada when Newfoundland joins Confederation.
• 1964: The province's government began to refer to itself as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador,
• 2001: The province officially changes its name to Newfoundland and Labrador by a Canadian constitutional amendment.
• 2007: The province and Federal Government of Canada sign an agreement to establish Nunatsiavut

Demographics[link]

Natural features[link]

Labrador is home to a number of fauna and flora species. Most of the Upper Canadian and Lower Hudsonian mammalian species are found in Labrador.^[9] Notably the Polar bear, Ursus maritimus, reaches the southeast of Labrador on its annual migration.^[10]

See also[link]

Newfoundland and Labrador portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Labrador

• Landsat Island
• Nunatsiavut
• Torngat Mountains National Park
• Nunatukavut

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Low, Albert Peter (1896), "Report on explorations in the Labrador peninsula along the East Main, Koksoak, Hamilton, Manicuagan and portions of other rivers in 1892-93-94-95", Geological Survey of Canada (Ottawa: Queen's Printer), http://www.archive.org/details/reportonexplorat00geoluoft, retrieved 2010-09-13 

• The Lure of the Labrador Wild, by Dillon Wallace (1905)
• Labrador by Choice, by Benjamin W. Powell Sr. C.M. 1979
• The Story of Labrador, by B. Rompkey (2005)
• Labrador, by Robert Stewart (1977)

External links[link]

Look up labrador in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Audio recording of a traditional ghost story from Labrador, Canada
• Project Gutenberg e-text of Dillon Wallace's The Lure of the Labrador Wild
• Labrador information page
• Trans-Labrador Highway website - detailed information about traveling in Labrador.
• Labrador Boundary dispute
• Alexander Forbes Collection: Aerial photo survey of Labrador from 1931, 1932, and 1935 expeditions - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries Digital Collections

v t e Subdivisions of Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland · Labrador · Nunatsiavut · Other islands Census divisions 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 Cities Corner Brook · Mount Pearl · St. John's Other communities Bishop's Falls · Bonavista · Botwood · Carbonear · Channel-Port aux Basques · Clarenville · Conception Bay South · Deer Lake · Ferryland · Fogo · Gander · Grand Bank · Grand Falls-Windsor · Happy Valley-Goose Bay · Harbour Grace · Hopedale · Labrador City · Marystown · Nain · Norris Arm · Pasadena · Peterview · Placentia · Red Bay · St. Anthony · Stephenville · Twillingate · Torbay · Woody Point · Makkovik Category:Newfoundland and Labrador  · Portal:Newfoundland and Labrador  · WikiProject:Newfoundland and Labrador

v t e Portuguese Overseas Empire North Africa 15th century 1415–1640  Ceuta 1458–1550  Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir) 1471–1550  Arzila (Asilah) 1471–1662  Tangier 1485–1550  Mazagan (El Jadida) 1487– middle 16th century  Ouadane 1488–1541  Safim (Safi) 1489  Graciosa 16th century 1505–1769  Santa Cruz do Cabo  de Gué (Agadir) 1506–1525  Mogador (Essaouira) 1506–1525  Aguz (Souira Guedima) 1506–1769  Mazagan (El Jadida) 1513–1541  Azamor (Azemmour) 1515  São João da Mamora (Mehdya) 1577–1589  Arzila (Asilah) Sub-Saharan Africa 15th century 1455–1633  Anguim 1462–1975  Cape Verde 1470–1975  São Tomé1 1474–1778  Annobón 1478–1778  Fernando Poo (Bioko) 1482–1637  Elmina (São Jorge  da Mina) 1482–1642  Portuguese Gold Coast 1508–1547 (1600)  Madagascar2 1498–1540  Mascarene Islands 16th century 1500–1630  Malindi 1500–1975  Príncipe1 1501–1975  Portuguese E. Africa  (Mozambique) 1502–1659  Saint Helena 1503–1698  Zanzibar 1505–1512  Quíloa (Kilwa) 1506–1511  Socotra 1557–1578  Accra 1575–1975  Portuguese W. Africa  (Angola) 1588–1974  Cacheu3 1593–1698  Mombassa (Mombasa) 17th century 1645–1888  Ziguinchor 1680–1961  São João Baptista de Ajudá 1687–1974  Bissau3 18th century 1728–1729  Mombassa (Mombasa) 1753–1975  São Tomé and Príncipe 19th century 1879–1974  Portuguese Guinea 1885–1975  Portuguese Congo   1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753.   2 A Factory (Anosy region) and small temporary coastal bases.   3 Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. Southwest Asia 16th century 1506–1615  Gamru (Bandar-Abbas) 1507–1643  Sohar 1515–1622  Hormuz (Ormus) 1515–1648  Quriyat 1515–?   Qalhat 1515–1650  Muscat 1515?–?   Barka 1515–1633? Julfar (Ras al-Khaimah) 1521–1602  Bahrain (Muharraq and Manama) 1521–1529?  Qatif 1521?–1551? Tarut Island 1550–1551  Qatif 1588–1648  Matrah 17th century 1620–?   Khor Fakkan 1621?–?   As Sib 1621–1622  Qeshm 1623–?   Khasab 1623–?   Libedia 1624–?   Kalba 1624–?   Madha 1624–1648  Dibba Al-Hisn 1624?–?   Bandar-e Kong Indian subcontinent 15th century 1498–1545  Laccadive Islands       (Lakshadweep) 16th century Portuguese India · 1500–1663  Cochim (Kochi) · 1501–1663  Cannanore (Kannur) · 1502–1658, 1659-1661  Quilon (Coulão/Kollam) · 1502–1661  Pallipuram (Cochin de Cima) · 1507–1657  Negapatam (Nagapatnam) · 1510–1962  Goa · 1512–1525, 1750  Calicut (Kozhikode) · 1518–1619  Portuguese Paliacate trading outpost (Pulicat) · 1521–1740  Chaul · 1523–1662  Mylapore · 1528–1666  Chittagong · 1531–1571  Chaul · 1531–1571  Chalé · 1534–1601  Salsette Island · 1534–1661  Bombay (Mumbai) · 1535  Ponnani · 1535–1739  Baçaím (Vasai-Virar) · 1536–1662  Cranganore (Kodungallur) · 1540–1612  Surat · 1548–1658  Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) 16th century (continued) Portuguese India (continued) · 1559–1962  Daman and Diu · 1568–1659  Mangalore · 1579–1632  Hugli · 1598–1610  Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) 1518–1521  Maldives 1518–1658  Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1558–1573  Maldives 17th century Portuguese India · 1687–1749  Mylapore 18th century Portuguese India · 1779–1954  Dadra and Nagar Haveli East Asia and Oceania 16th century 1511–1641  Portuguese Malacca 1512–1621  Maluku · 1522–1575  Ternate · 1576–1605  Ambon · 1578–1650  Tidore 1512–1665  Makassar 1553–1999  Macau 1571–1639  Decima (Dejima, Nagasaki) 17th century 1642–1975  Portuguese Timor (East Timor)1 19th century Macau · 1864–1999  Coloane · 1849–1999  Portas do Cerco · 1851–1999  Taipa · 1890–1999  Ilha Verde 20th century Macau · 1938–1941  Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin) 1  1975 is the year of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, East Timor's independence was recognized by Portugal & the world. North America and the North Atlantic Ocean 15th century 1420 Madeira 1432 Azores 16th century 1500–1579?  Terra Nova (Newfoundland) 1500–1579?  Labrador 1516–1579?  Nova Scotia Central and South America 16th century 1500–1822  Brazil 1536–1620  Barbados 17th century 1680–1777  Nova Colónia do Sacramento 19th century 1808–1822  Cisplatina (Uruguay) 1809–1817  Portuguese Guiana 1822  Upper Peru (Bolivia) Portuguese colonization of the Americas - Theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia - Portuguese colonialism in Indonesia

César Millan
Born	César Millán Favela (1969-08-27) August 27, 1969 (age 42) Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Residence	Santa Clarita, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Dog psychologist
Known for	Dog Whisperer (TV series)
Spouse	Ilusión Millan (1994-2010; filed for divorce)[1]
Website
CesarsWay.com

Cesar Millan, (born César Millán Favela; August 27, 1969) is a Mexican-born American dog trainer.^[2] A self-taught expert, he is widely known for his television series The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, now in its eighth season and broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide.^[3] Prior to The Dog Whisperer series, Millan focused on rehabilitating especially aggressive dogs^[4] and founded the Dog Psychology Center^[5] in South Los Angeles (2002–2008) — under construction in a new Los Angeles location as of late 2009.^[6]

Millan's first three books, including Cesar's Way, all became New York Times best sellers, have cumulatively sold two million copies in the United States, and are available in 14 other countries.^[6] In 2009, in conjunction with IMG, Millan introduced a monthly magazine also titled Cesar's Way — with The Wall Street Journal reporting at that time that half of American consumers recognized Millan.^[7] With Ilusión Millan, his former wife, he founded the Cesar and Ilusión Millan Foundation — since renamed the Millan Foundation. He is working with Yale University to create a children's curriculum based on his work.^[6]

Millan's most important tool in both his success with dogs and business has sometimes been attributed to a personal sense of balance,^[6] what The New York Times called "a sort of über-balanced mien".^[6]

Personal life[link]

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.^[8] Because of his natural way with dogs, he was called el Perrero, "the dog boy."^[8] 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.^[9]

Millan illegally crossed the border into the US when he was 21 years old, spoke no English and knew no one in the USA.^{[8][10][11][12]} 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 became one of Millan's first clients and supporters — when he was working as a limousine driver^[3] — providing him with an English tutor for a year.^[9][10] 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.^[13]

Millan became a legal resident of the U.S. in 2000, became a U.S. citizen in 2009, and lives in Santa Clarita, California. He married Ilusión Wilson Millan in 1994, with whom he had two sons, Andre (b. 1995) and Calvin (b. 2001).

In June 2010, Millan announced his divorce.^[14] His wife, Ilusión Millan, filed for divorce, seeking primary physical custody of their children with visitation for Cesar, as well as spousal support.^[15] The divorce agreement stipulates that Millan pay his ex-wife a single payment of $400,000, a monthly spousal payment of $23,000 and $10,000 for monthly child support,^[16] and that the parties respect specific confidentiality terms.^[16]

[edit] Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan

In 2002, after a profile in the Los Angeles Times, Millan worked with MPH Entertainment, Inc. developing a television pilot for the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, a reality television series that follows Millan as he works in the field of dog rehabilitation. The series premiered on September 13, 2004 on the National Geographic Channel and now airs exclusively on the Nat Geo WILD channel. The show would become National Geographic's #1 show during its first season.^[17] The show is also known as Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan or The Dog Whisperer, outside the USA, and is now in its seventh season and broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide.^[3]

The program demonstrates Cesar Millan's application of his philosophy that healthy, balanced dogs require strong 'pack leadership' from their owners, specifically in the form of exercise, discipline and affection (in that order),^[10] with Millan demonstrating how owners can achieve and maintain a leadership role with their dogs. The program highlights Millan at work rehabilitating dogs, and is not intended as a dog training guide.^[17] Each episode contains repeated warnings that viewers should not try some of the behavior modification techniques at home.^[10]

Millan's book Cesar's Way debuted with the show's second season, becoming a bestseller.^[18] Millan works with a broad spectrum of individuals, including celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Nicolas Cage, Will Smith, and Vin Diesel.^[13]

Principles[link]

Millan's work focuses on handling a dog with what he calls "calm-assertive energy", which ought to transfer from the owner to the dog.^[6] He approaches dog behavior by teaching dog owners to understand the natural needs and responses of a dog, to understand that dogs are pack animals, to assist owners in establishing their role as calm-assertive pack leaders.^[10]

Millan prioritizes fulfilling and balancing a dog's primary needs:^[10] exercise, discipline and affection—in that order.^[19] In other words, it is the owner's responsibility to fulfill the dog's energy level through challenging exercise; to provide clearly communicated rules, boundaries and limitations^[20] for the dog's behavior; and to give the dog affection at the right time. Millan encourages owners to give affection, but to give affection when the dog is in a balanced state of mind, not when the dog is fearful, anxious, avoidant or excited — when the affection itself can reinforce imbalance. According to Millan, a common pitfall for dog owners is to give a great deal of affection with very little discipline and even less exercise.^[20]

Millan emphasizes the importance of walking a dog, not only for the dog's exercise, but for the owner and dog to bond—with the dog ultimately recognizing the owner as its leader. He also encourages owners to watch their dog for subtle cues in the dog's posture, movement and facial expression—to eliminate poor behavior before it arises or escalates. And he encourages owners to understand the profound effect their own attitudes, internal emotions and physical postures have on a dog's behavior, counseling owners to hold strong posture (i.e. shoulders high and chest forward) and to project energy that is calm-assertive.^[8][21]

Millan also stresses that owners identify their dog in a hierarchy of three levels:

• Firstly and most importantly, as a dog with canine rather than human needs.
• Secondly, as a particular breed of dog — for example, a Boxer-Rottweiler mix — with a breed-specific energy level and behavioral instinct.^[22]
• Thirdly, as their individual dog, e.g., "Bella".

Millan is widely known for using vocal marks, e.g., his tsch or tsst^[9] sounds, while working with a dog (rather than words, especially the dog's name), and he encourages owners to create their own unique sound that works for them.^[21]

Millan stresses that when meeting a new dog, making eye contact, speaking, and touching it are to be avoided, in favor of letting the dog approach on its own terms.^[10]

Daddy[link]

One of Millan's many dogs, Daddy, was an American Pit Bull Terrier integral to Millan's work and his television series, Dog Whisperer.^[23] Daddy was known for his calm temperament, tolerance for smaller dogs and capacity for empathy.^[24] Prior to Daddy's death in February 2010 at age 16,^[25] Millan selected another pit bull puppy, Junior, as Daddy's protégé — to apprentice with Daddy and learn his temperament.

Philanthropy[link]

In 2007, Cesar and Ilusión Millan created the Cesar and Ilusión Millan Foundation: "a national, non-profit foundation designed to aid and support the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of abused and abandoned dogs."^[26] Together they have also founded the Shelter Stars program to provide education materials to new dog adopters,^[6] The foundation has since been renamed the Millan Foundation.

Millan has supported other projects, including K-9 Connection, for at-risk teens;^[27] Pups on Parole, a program for inmates;^[28] the Pets911 project,^[29] which works to "effect social change in this country by providing a free public service that will one day ensure an environment where all animals are valued companions and have lifetime, loving homes.";^[30] and the It Gets Better project supporting at-risk LGBT youth.^[31] His 2006 seminar tour donated a portion of the proceeds to the hosting rescue groups.

Media and guest appearances[link]

Millan has been featured twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show,^[32][33] as well as on ABC World News Tonight (2002), CBS-TV (2001), Channel 7 News (May 2005), CNN (April 2006), Creative Arts Emmys 2006 (August 2006), Entertainment Insider (December 2004), Good Day Live (February 2005), Good Morning America With Diane Sawyer (September 2004), KTLA-TV (2002), Last Call with Carson Daly (November 2006), Martha Stewart Show (April 2006), Megan Mullally Show (November 2006), Nightline (July 2006), NBC-TV (2001), Today Show (April 2006), Tonight Show With Jay Leno (February 2005), The View (July 2006), WUSA-TV 9 News (April 2006), season 4 of the Emmy Award winning reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.

Millan guest-starred as himself in Ghost Whisperer in Season 2, Episode 18, "Children of Ghost". In the episode, Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) seeks out Millan for advice on how to help "Homer", Ghost Whisperer's Ghost Dog (from Season 1), cross over into the light.

Millan was portrayed in a tenth-season episode of the Comedy Central animated series South Park (entitled "Tsst") that aired on May 3, 2006. In the episode, Millan is hired to train not a dog, but Eric Cartman, to behave after popular "nannies" (see Nanny 911, Super Nanny) fail to rein in his behavior.

Millan played himself in "The Finger in the Nest", the September 17, 2008, episode of Bones, helping the lead characters to determine if a location was used for dogfighting.

Millan played himself in Beethoven's Big Break which premiered in cinemas on December 30, 2008.

Millan played himself in The Back-Up Plan, which was released April 23, 2010 in theaters.

Millan made a guest appearance as a judge on Episode #3 of the 10th season of The Apprentice.

Millan made a guest appearance on the April 27, 2011 episode of "Jeopardy".^[34]

Legal issues[link]

In 2006, Millan's original publicists, Makeda Smith and Foster Corder, sued Millan, alleging copyright infringement, breach of contract and breach of confidential relationship,^[35] later settling out of court.^{[dead link][36]} Also in 2006, Floyd Suarez sued Millan, alleging that his dog had been injured while on a treadmill at the Dog Psychology Center,^[37] and also eventually settled out of court.^{[dead link][38]}

Criticism[link]

Also in 2006, Jean Donaldson, the San Francisco SPCA director of The Academy for Dog Trainers, criticized Millan for physically confronting aggressive dogs and using choke chains for fearful dogs. This criticism was published by the American Humane Association, which asked National Geographic to stop airing Dog Whisperer.^[39]

In November 2009, Millan invited the American Humane Association to the set of Dog Whisperer, at which time, according to Millan, "they changed their state of mind about what is cruel".^[40] The association announced in February 2010 that despite "sharp differences of view in the past" and some lingering areas of disagreement, they shared many areas of interest with Millan.^[41] They also invited him that month to participate in a symposium on humane dog training "to discuss issues of concern".^[42]

Dr. Ian Dunbar and dog behaviorist Jean Donaldson collaborated on a 2007 DVD titled "Fighting Dominance in a Dog Whispering World" that addresses their concerns with Cesar Millan and similar dominance-based theories of training and behavior modification.^[43]

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has also expressed their concerns over the resurgence of "dominance theory"-based training methods that fixate inappropriately on pack leadership. They cite behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin and Knowles/Saxberg, saying "In our relationship with our pets, priority access to resources is not the major concern. The majority of behaviors owners want to modify, such as excessive vocalization, unruly greetings, and failure to come when called, are not related to valued resources and may not even involve aggression. Rather, these behaviors occur because they have been inadvertently rewarded and because alternate appropriate behaviors have not been trained instead. Consequently, what owners really want is not to gain dominance, but to obtain the ability to influence their pets to perform behaviors willingly. ... The AVSAB recommends that veterinarians not refer clients to trainers or behavior consultants who coach and advocate dominance hierarchy theory and the subsequent confrontational training that follows from it."^[44]

Punishment and attempts at dominating dogs to correct behavioral issues can potentially worsen the problem, AVSAB further notes: "Even in the relatively few cases where aggression is related to rank, applying animal social theory and mimicking how animals would respond can pose a problem. First, it can cause one to use punishment, which may suppress aggression without addressing the underlying cause. Because fear and anxiety are common causes of aggression and other behavior problems, including those that mimic resource guarding, the use of punishment can directly exacerbate the problem by increasing the animal’s fear or anxiety."^[44]

Bibliographies and DVDs[link]

Books:

• Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems. New York: Three Rivers Press. March 2007. ISBN 978-0-307-33797-9. 
• Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life. New York: Three Rivers Press. March 2007. ISBN 978-0-307-38167-5. 
• A Member of the Family: Cesar Millan's Guide to a Lifetime of Fulfillment with Your Dog. New York: Three Rivers Press. March 2008. ISBN 978-0-307-40891-4. 
• How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond. New York: Three Rivers Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-307-46129-2. 
• Cesar's Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog. New York: Crown Archetype. 2010. ISBN 978-0-307-71686-6. 

DVDs:

Awards[link]

• 2005, the Humane Society of the United States Genesis Award Committee presented Millan with a Special Commendation for his work in rehabilitating animals.
• 2007, Millan was awarded the Michael Landon Award for Inspiration to Youth Through Television. Young Artists Awards.org
• 2006, 2007 and 2009, Millan's TV show, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program.
• 2006, Millan and his wife, Ilusión, were awarded honorary membership of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).^[45]
• 2008, The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan won the award for TV Best Variety or Reality Show at the 23rd Annual Imagine Awards.
• 2008, Cesar Millan was recognized as a "Treasure of Los Angeles" for his contributions to the City of Los Angeles.^[46]
• 2010, Millan's TV show, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Animal Show.^[47]

References[link]