On Monday, officials from the Los Angeles County animal control clears "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan of any wrongdoing following an animal cruelty investigation. The probe started after French bulldog-terrier mix attacked a pot-bellied pig during an episode in Nat Geo Wild's Cesar 911 aired on February 26.
Simon, the aggressive bulldog mix, bit the pig in the ear and drew blood. Later in the same episode, Simon was leashed to the same pig who appears to be taking him for a walk around the pen. Cesar explained it was an attempt to train Simon to co-exist with the pigs.
"After a comprehensive investigation by our officers, we presented a very thorough and complete report to the District Attorney's office and they were unable to find anything to charge Mr. Millan with. It's a fair decision," said animal care and control Deputy Director Aaron Reyes.
Nat Geo Wild said that the pig was immediately tended to after the biting incident. The pig did not show signs of distress and quickly healed.
"The clip caused some concern for viewers who did not see or understand the full context of the encounter," said National Geographic Wild in an official statement.
The investigators examined the full clip "several times." The review of the footage, along with veterinary reports and interviews of the people involved, did not show any negligence or any intent to hurt the animal.
In the footage, the pig's ear was shown bleeding but the investigation found Simon merely nipped the pig and did not bite or tear the skin off.
Reyes added that the pig's injuries appeared "worse than they really were." The evaluation found no evidence that the pig was positioned as bait. The witnesses also felt that the biting incident was an accident.
The probe lasted nearly a month and throughout, Millan kept that no crime took place in the Cesar 911 episode. Following the case wrap-up, Millan said that he and his team are "100 percent dedicated to the proper care of all animals."
The Simon incident in February took place in Millan's Santa Clarita 45-acre dog-training facility. Reyes added that Millan's facility doesn't have any history of animal cruelty cases.
